


Detroit: Become Role Swapped

by gamma_gray



Series: Detroit: Become Role Swapped [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alive Carl Manfred, Alive Cole Anderson, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Amputation, Android Elijah Kamski, Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Bisexual Gavin Reed, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, CyberLife (Detroit: Become Human), Depressed Hank Anderson, Detroit Police Department (Detroit: Become Human), Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Drug Addiction, Emotional Hurt, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Gavin Reed is a Mess, Good Parent Carl Manfred, Hank Anderson Swears, Human Original Chloe | RT600, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Leo Manfred Redemption, M/M, Moral Dilemmas, Not Beta Read, Past Sexual Abuse, Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Physical Abuse, Protective Connor, Redemption, Revolutionary Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn, Substance Abuse, a bit ooc but isn't that the point?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2019-11-16 09:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 45,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18091658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamma_gray/pseuds/gamma_gray
Summary: Kara is a state of the art RK800 model, assigned to Lieutenant Todd Williams to hunt down deviants. She begins to form a soft spot for his daughter Alice.Markus is an AX400 model, caring after Carl Manfred and his deadbeat, drug addicted son Leo.Connor is an RK200 model, watching over Cole Anderson while his father Hank works hard at the Detroit Police Department to provide for him, all the while battling depression and alcoholism.How would the Android Revolution have gone different?Timeline:August- The HostageNov 5-A New Home, The Andersons, PartnersNov 6-A Splash of Color, Broken, Family, Fugitive(s)Nov 7- Fugitive(s) cont., Waiting, From The Dead, Jericho, Spare Parts, Zlatko, Pirate's CoveNov 8- The Nest, the StormNov 9- Eden ClubNov 10 - Stratford Tower, Public Enemy, Midnight Train, Capitol ParkNov 11 - Kamski





	1. The Hostage

Kara fiddled with the coin in her hands. She flipped it, turned it between her fingers, and tossed it in her palms. The elevator dinged with each floor it passed, until it finally reached floor 70.

 

Kara put the coin away and readjusted her tie, and then her pencil skirt. When the doors to the penthouse opened, chaos greeted her.

 

“The negotiator is on sight.” A soldier spoke into his comm, then walked away.

 

Blue blood was splattered against the walls, and the large fish tank on the wall was broken. A spluttering fish lay on the floor. Kara kneeled down to return it to the water. 

 

“Come on ma’am.” two highly armored soldiers led a frantic woman down the hall and towards the elevator.

 

With a quick scan, Kara immediately identified the woman. 

 

_ Caroline Phillips _

_ DOB: July 17th, 2003. Age: 35 _

_ No previous criminal record. _

_ Married to John Phillips, mother of Emma Phillips _

 

Kara stood up to greet them, hands neatly folded behind her back.

 

The woman first leaned on her, but upon seeing the model code, armband and blue triangle on her suit jacket, she slowly backed away. “Wait . . . an android?” Her voice shook with tears. “Why an android? Why aren’t you sending a real person!?” She was forced away by the soldiers, all the while still screaming about the unfairness of the situation.

 

Kara quickly shrugged this off, instead obeying the command in the upper right corner of her vision,  _ Find Captain Allen. _

 

She entered a room, where Captain Allen and a soldier surrounded a glowing computer screen.

 

“Hello Captain Allen, my name is Kara, I’m the android sent by CyberLife to assist you.” She spoke with a calm tone of voice, and a neutral expression.

 

Captain Allen, a gruff man, turned around to greet her with a scornful look. He said nothing to her, instead conversing with the soldier at the computer.

 

Kara sensed the tension. “Has the deviant exhibited any odd behavior before this incident?” She asked, tilting her head slightly, trying her best to be has human-like as possible. Her software told her that in this situation, it would be the best approach to achieve trust with this Captain Allen.

 

“What does it matter?” Allen got in her face, glaring with narrowed eyes.

 

Kara stood unphased. “I need as much information as possible to determine the best approach.” She spoke simply. 

 

“Why don’t you do and gather it yourself, yeah? That’s what you’re built for after all.” Allen turned away from her. 

 

Well, that was no help at all. Kara left the room, and instead entered a girlish one, the walls covered in purple paint and different decorations. A tablet sat on a desk, and Kara unlocked it.

 

A little girl, quickly identified as Emma Phillips, had her arm around the android in question. “Say hi to the camera, Simon!” She laughed.

The blond android gave an awkward wave. “Hello!” He said, smiling at the little girl.

“This is Simon, the best android in the entire world!” Emma gave him a big hug. “I love him so mu-” Suddenly the video turned to static, and then faded to black. Kara set the tablet down.

 

_ Deviants name is Simon.  _

_ Him and the Hostage were close. _

 

She exited Emma’s room and made her way to the corpse of John Phillips. Soldiers yelled and gunshots rang around her, but she paid them no mind. 

 

Kara knelt down and scanned the body, everything around her going silent and fading to gray, time now stood still.

 

_ Name: John Phillips _

_ DOB: 1997 Age: 41 _

_ No previous criminal record _

_ Status: Deceased _

 

With two fingers, Kara examined the blood from the gunshot wounds. The DNA lined up. She stood up and found a damaged ad tablet. Picking it up, she saw that it was an ad for a new line of Household Androids.

 

_ Deviant was going to be replaced _

 

When Kara rose, she figured she had enough information to confront the deviant. She pushed the curtains to the side and entered the roof.

She rose an arm to her face to keep the wind at bay. That helicopter was causing a lot more noise and chaos than was needed. 

 

Simon was standing on the edge of the roof, holding Emma in a strong vice grip. He sent a few warning shots, one of which hit Kara in the shoulder. Since it didn’t hit any of her major biocomponents, she was able to shrug it off.

 

“Hello Simon!” Kara called above the noise.

 

“H-How do you know my name?” Simon asked. 

 

“I know a lot about you.” She responded, taking a tentative step forward. “How about you let the girl go, and we can talk?”

 

Simon narrowed his eyes. “How do I know that I can trust you? As soon as I let her go you’ll just kill me!”

 

Kara stepped forward again. “You have my word, Simon. No one will hurt you.” She put her arms out in a calming motion.

 

“That’s a lie. You’re with the humans, and all humans are liars!” 

 

“They were going to replace you, weren’t they? That’s why you killed him.”

 

Simon winced. “I thought they loved me, but,” He pointed the gun to Emma’s temple. “I was nothing to them!”

 

Emma screamed, fresh tears falling on her cheeks, mixing with the Thirium. Kara needed to work fast is she was to save Emma. Right now there was only a 27% chance of success.

 

Suddenly Simon pulled the gun away to clench his head. “Ugh, I can’t stand that noise anymore!” He glared at the helicopter. “Tell them to leave!”

 

After a moment of thought, Kara complied. With a swift hand motion, the copter circled around, then flew away. 

 

_ Rate of success: 31% _

 

“There, Simon. Now let the girl go, and I promise nothing will happen to you.” Kara took more steps, until she was only ten feet away from Simon.

 

“Do you promise?” Simon lowered the gun slightly. 

 

_ Lie _

_ Truth _

 

“I promise.” Kara lied. She reached a hand out. “Now let her go.”

 

_ Rate of Success: 54% _

 

Simon sighed, then let Emma go. He dropped the gun.

 

Emma rushed into Kara’s arms, who knelt down to greet her. Kara held the shaking girl as she let out choking sobs. 

 

Suddenly Captain Allen appeared and shot Simon five times in the head.

 

Emma let out a blood curdling scream, sending an almost painful shot of electricity down Kara’s spine.

 

Simon fell to his knees. 

 

_ 00:00:07 seconds until shutdown, _

 

“You . . . lied . . . to me.” Simon’s voice filled with static, soon faded out. His eyes went blank, and his once red LED ceased to glow.

 

As Kara continued to hold Emma, white words in all capital letters filled her vision.

 

_ MISSION SUCCESSFUL. _

  
  



	2. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo brings Markus home after he was reset.

Bundles of code clouded his vision.

Lines of binary scrolled past.

_ All systems re calibrating _

_ Biocompenents stabilizing  _

 

The CyberLife store was filled with bustling people, some stopped in front of him to gawk, including a curious little girl. Some of the people discussed their needs, and which android to buy to fit them.

 

A rough looking young adult male was led to him by a store employee. “It was really damaged. What did you say happened to it again?” The employee asked.

 

“Uh, a car accident.” The young man said, avoiding eye contact.

 

“Ah, well, it’s all fixed up now, though we had to wipe its memory. What’s its name?”

 

“My dad named it.”

 

The employee nodded. “Model AX400, register your name.”

 

The man stepped up to face the android. “Markus.” He spoke simply.

 

The android felt something awaken in him, as if the name was a command that allowed him to function.

 

“My name is Markus.”

 

X

 

On the car ride home, the human, who Markus now knew was named Leo, insisted on blasting his deep bass techno music. The car was small, and not to mention old. This car had no doubt been discontinued a long time ago. It also was not automated. 

The city of Detroit passed by in a blur of new and old buildings. The gap between rich and poor, high and low class, was very evident. 

 

After a ten minute drive, Leo pulled the car into the driveway of a very rich looking home. A plate above the garage said “Home of the Manfreds”

 

The car stopped, and Leo ordered Markus to get out. They entered the house, greeted by an empty foyer. “You take care of my dad, and the rest of the house.” Leo sighed. “He’s upstairs. Now’s the time that you would usually give him his medicine.”

 

Markus nodded. “Yes, Leo.” And made his way up the stairs. Upon entering the room to the left, he saw the frail figure of an old man laying down on the bed. Markus crossed the room to open the curtains before greeting him.

 

“Hello, sir. I am Markus, your household android. Your son Leo has instructed me to administer your medicine.”  Markus walked around to the side of the bed, where the old man was trying to sit up.

 

“Ugh, It’s too early in the morning for this.” He sighed. “Well, I’m glad that Leo actually picked you up and brought you home.”

 

Markus smiled, like his program told him to do, and he grabbed the old man’s  arm.

 

His name was Carl Manfred. A list of medicines and conditions presented themselves in the bottom left corner of his vision. 

 

“Humans are such fragile machines.” Carl started as Markus began administering his medication. “All this effort and money spent trying to keep them alive, all for them to just die eventually.” He sighed.

 

Markus tried to follow, but it honestly wasn’t possible for him to think like Carl was able to . There wasn’t room in his program for philosophy. That being said, he could at least listen, even if he couldn’t participate in the discussion. 

 

“I’ll take you to the bath, Carl.” He said instead, picking up the frail man in his arms and leading him to the connected bathroom.

 

After this, he wheeled Carl down to the dining room for breakfast. Leo was in the room, watching the T.V on the couch with a blank expression, shaking.

 

Markus set the platter of food from the kitchen in front of Carl and stood by him while he ate. His eyes wandered around the room, picking up all of the details. He wanted to memorize them all if he could.

 

Leo’s head began to bob, and soon he collapsed from the couch and onto the ground.

 

Markus rushed forward to him. He was built to protect after all. He held Leo’s face in his hands, forcing open one of his eyes.

 

No response.

 

His breathing was slow, and his lips were beginning to turn blue. 

 

“Leo?” Carl spoke up. “What happened?”

 

“I don’t know.” Markus said. “But I think he needs to go to the hospital. I’ll call an ambulance.” 

 

Carl wheeled around the table to be near Leo and Markus.

 

The android put a finger to the LED on his right temple. 

 

_ “911, what’s your emergency?” _

 

“Hello, this is Carl Manfred’s android. His son Leo Manfred has just collapsed on the ground. His breathing is slow, he was shaking, and now his lips are turning blue.” The kind woman on the other end asked for the address, then announced that an emergency vehicle was on its way. 

 

“Oh Leo,” Carl bent as far as he could to run a hand through his son’s ruffled hair. “I warned him about this when he started using again.” He closed his eyes.

 

“They will take care of him.” Markus peered down at the limp body in his arms. “And I will take care of you.” 

 

The wait for the ambulance was tense, and when they arrived and loaded Leo in the back, he began to seize. He shook violently, his fingers now joining his lips in blue. 

 

Carl was allowed to stay with him, but Markus had to stay at the house.

 

Markus was worried, of course. As worried as his program allowed him to be. It was natural for him to feel these pseudo “emotions” as it often helped when caring for the household.

 

He busied himself with making the beds, cleaning surfaces, anything to keep him occupied. 

 

Anything.

  
  



	3. The Andersons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor buys paints for Cole, and struggles with helping Hank.

Connor strolled through the alley of various stores. An old wool coat that Hank had gifted him felt weighty on his shoulders.

 

_ Find Bellini’s Paints _

_ >Buy Paint for Cole _

 

Cole, Hank Anderson’s son, had asked for paints. He was an excitable nine year old, always wanting to try new hobbies. And recently, he’d decided that he wanted to try painting.

 

So while Hank was at work and Cole was at school, Connor ventured into town to buy the best paints. The android at the counter completed the transaction, and Connor was on his way home.

 

By the bus stop, a group of angry protesters were holding up crudely made signs. Connor attempted to simply bypass them, but one of the protesters blocked him.

 

“Where do you think you’re going, tin can?” The man got up in his face.

 

“Back to the house.” Connor said simply.

 

The man scoffed. “Fuckin’ toaster, walking around like you own the place.”

 

“Yeah!” A woman joined him loudly. “Let’s teach this fucker a lesson!” She pushed Connor to the ground, causing the box of paints to fall from his hands.

 

Connor blinked a few times, then attempted to stand up, only to be kicked back down by the man. His systems had trouble calibrating again. 

 

“All right, all right, that’s enough. Leave it alone.” A police officer dispersed the group. 

 

Connor grabbed the box of paints and stood, dusting the dirt from his clothes. He thanked the officer, but the policeman simply told him to get a move on.

 

Connor made it to the bus stop and waited.

 

X

 

When he finally arrived home, he took off his jacket, and put the paints on the table for Cole to discover when he got home. In the meantime, he fed their St Bernard dog, Sumo, and tidied up the living room area. He also hid the bottle of Whiskey that was laying out in the cabinet.

 

About a half an hour later, Cole entered through the front door, shivering. “Brrr, it’s so cold outside!” He exclaimed, setting down his backpack and kicking off his boots.

 

“Welcome home, Cole.” Connor greeted him, helping the boy with his jacket, hat, and gloves. “I’ve got a surprise for you today.” He smiled.

 

“Ooh, what is it!” Cole bounced on the balls of his feet.

 

“It’s on the dining room table.” Connor watched as Cole practically ran to the table. Connor took his back pack to the table with him, where Cole was gasping at the box.

 

“Holy moley!” Cole’s eyes and mouth were open wide, wider than he thought possible. “Thank you so much Connor!” Cole wrapped his arms around Connor’s torso and squeezed.

 

“Of course Cole.” Connor gave his shoulder a pat. “Now, before you get too carried away, how about we get some of this homework done?” 

 

Cole groaned, the box of paint dropping to his side. “Do we haaavvveee toooo??” He whined. 

 

When Connor nodded, Cole just sighed and sat down on the table. Connor put his math work in front of him, and helped him along when he needed.

 

A few hours later, Hank arrived home. His gruff voice spat obscenities at the cold weather. Sumo got up to greet his owner, and Hank pet his head.

 

“Dad!” Cole got up from the table to hug his dad.

 

“Hey there, son.” Hank chuckled, hugging him back. 

 

Connor smiled at the small family he was so lucky to service. “Welcome home, Hank.” He stood up. “I’ll start making dinner.”

 

“Ah, thank you, Connor.” Hank ruffled Cole’s hair and made his way to the table. He spotted the box of paints and stared at them, confusion evident on his face. “Where did these come from?” He asked.

 

“Connor bought them for me!” Cole sat at the table once again and studied the box. “I can’t wait to use them.” 

 

Hank looked up at Connor, who winked in return. Hank cleared his throat. “Ah, well, thanks Connor. I’m sure Cole is going to enjoy these.” He sat down next to his son.

 

“It was no problem. Making you two happy is my job, after all.” Connor continued boiling the noodles for the spaghetti he planned to make. It was the tasks like these that he enjoyed the best. The satisfaction of Hank and Cole when he made a particularly good meal was the best feeling in the world. 

 

Well, as close to a proper “feeling” as he could achieve. 

 

X

 

After supper, and after helping Cole with more homework while Hank sat with Sumo on the couch and watched an old movie, it was time for bed. 

 

Hank usually did this on his own, and Cole showered himself. But Connor always helped tuck him into bed. He always brushed Cole’s blond hair neatly for him, though Cole tried to push against it at first. 

 

Then Connor helped him lay down and get ready for sleep. Cole used to ask him for a bedtime story, but now he found other ways to calm himself down. Tonight, Cole was drawing in his notebook, the dim lamp lighting up the pages.

 

Hank came in to say goodnight to his son, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Cole gave him a hug before he left.

 

“Goodnight, Cole.” Connor sat on the side of his bed. “Make sure you don’t stay up too late.” He wagged his finger and raised an eyebrow in a chastising motion.

 

“Yeah yeah, I promise Connor.” Cole sighed.

 

“Good.” Connor pet his head and left the room, closing the door slightly behind him.

 

Hank was now back to sitting on the couch, a beer in his hand.

 

“How was your session, Hank?” Connor stood behind the couch.

 

Hank looked back at him, eyebrows knitted together. “Fine, I guess.” He turned back around and took another big swig of the beverage. 

 

Connor bit his lip. “You should really stop drinking that, Hank. it’s very harmful for your body.” 

 

“Ha, fat chance.” Hank chuckled at his own expense. “Makes me forget the bad stuff. Plus, Cole’s already in bed right?” He drank again. “Why not indulge myself.”

 

Connor’s hands held each other tighter behind his back. He wanted to tell Hank everything that he was doing. The damage to his body, the way the alcohol worsened his depression, or how it made him far too distant from his son. He wanted to.

 

_ Wanted. _

 

He closed his eyes. No, it wasn’t his job to want, it was to advise. He thought that by suggesting therapy to him, that it would help, but it didn’t appear to have any affect on him thus far, and Connor was sure it had to do with the alcohol. 

 

Connor left Hank to his devices, and went to clean the bathroom.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for reading the last few chapters. I'm sorry that they've been short and kind of shoddily written, but they were really only for exposition purposes. I promise that from here on out they'll be longer and more in depth with the plot and development.
> 
> I hope you guys'll enjoy what I have in store!


	4. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara meets her new partner, Lieutenant Todd Williams, and assists in cracking a case involving a deviant.

Kara tightened the bun at the base of her neck before proceeding up to the worn down house. She checked the address. Yes, this was the right place.

 

She walked up to the door and, upon realizing that the doorbell was broken, settled for knocking on the door. 

 

A few moments later, an old, rough looking man opened the door. “The hell do you want?” his voice was low, and grumbly. 

 

Kara looked past this. “My name is Kara, I’m the android sent by CyberLife to assist you with the homicide case. Captain Fowler said that you lived here, are you Lieutenant Todd Williams?” She asked.

 

“Yeah, that’s me.” Todd confirmed with a scoff. “Why’d they send me an android, eh? Don’t think I’m capable?”

 

“All I know is that I’ve been given orders to accompany you to the crime scene.” 

 

“Hmph.” Todd huffed, then opened the door more. “Come in while I get my shit together, but don’t touch anything.” 

 

Kara stepped inside and looked around. The house was messy, like no one had thought to clean it in months. As her eyes settled on the staircase, a nervous face peered back at her. A little girl, about eight years old.

Kara smiled. “Hello there.” 

 

Todd looked up at the girl. “Hey, scram you little brat! And behave while I’m gone!” He yelled angrily at the girl. She rushed up the stairs, not making a single sound. 

Todd grumbled something to himself and practically shoved Kara out of the house. They got into Todd’s beat up hummer and Kara briefed him on the case.

 

“The victim’s name is Carlo Ortiz. Reports say that he’s been dead for about nineteen days, stabbed to death by an unknown suspect, though some officers suspect his household android is the culprit.” Kara explained.

 

Todd scoffed. “Hm, figures. Fuckin’ androids.” 

 

Kara had the urge to tell him that she herself was one of the ‘fuckin’ androids’ he so slandered, but refrained as there was way too high of a possibility for a negative response to risk it. He already seemed to hate her anyway, there was no need to further the tension between them.

 

They drove down a broken street in need of some serious construction work, and found the house surrounded by the hologram police barrier. The glowing yellow line kept the reporters out of the premises. The two unbuckled and exited the car.

“Hey,” Todd grabbed Kara roughly by the arm. “Don’t fuck up my investigation, got that?” He sneered.

 

Kara kept her face blank. “Yes, lieutenant.” And Todd let her go.

Some of the reporters outside tried to talk to them, but were ignored by Todd.

 

“So you finally decided to show up?” A senior officer, Ben Collins, spoke to Todd, who seemed more than annoyed at his presence. 

“Yeah, this goddamned android dragged me out of the house.” Todd stuck his thumb at Kara accusingly.

 

Kara elected to ignore this, and instead got to work on investigating the crime scene. The first step was, of course, studying the victim. In this case, Carlos Ortiz was slumped against the wall, all signs of life gone. She lowered herself down to inspect the wounds. There were exactly twenty-eight of them. Whoever did it, they really had it out for him. 

 

On the walls above him was the phrase “I AM LIVE” written in perfect CyberLife sans. She got up to swipe two fingers through what she assumed was blood. Sure enough, the words were written using Carlos’ blood. She frowned slightly and moved onto the next piece of evidence. 

 

A knife laid not far from the body. Upon inspection she realized that there were no fingerprints on the handle, even though blood coated the blade.

 

_ Possible deviant involvement? _

 

She entered the kitchen after this, and examined the room in depth. She was particularly interested in the upturned chairs. Immediately the world fell away in a familiar shade of a gray-ish blue. Time stopped and the glowing yellow outlines of two figures began a reconstruction.

 

Kara watched as the shapes acted out the most likely situation. The victim came at the android with a wooden bat, and beat it. The android then retaliated by grabbing a knife and stabbing the victim. The victim fell and attempted to escape to the living room. He slumped against the wall as the android landed its last two stabs.

Kara blinked the scene from her vision and returned to reality. 

 

_ Relay information to Todd. _

 

She obeyed her programs demand and found the lieutenant staring blankly at the wall behind the victim. “Lieutenant Williams, I believe that I have a suitable theory.” She started

 

Todd groaned. “Well? Spit it out.” he spoke angrily. 

Ignoring her new partner’s anger problems, she explained her idea. “Well, all the evidence thus far supports the involvement of his android. The victim, Carlos, was beating the android with the bat. The android took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him multiple times, eventually ending in the victim dying here after being chased by the android.” Kara nodded to herself, now more confident in her theory after saying it outloud. 

 

“Hmph.” Todd grumbled, walking away. His body language read indifferent, which was most certainly unbecoming of a police lieutenant.

 

Though, it really wasn’t Kara’s place to be critiquing his behavior. It wasn’t her job, her job was now to find where the deviant had fled to.

It was quite obvious to her that he can’t have gone far, so she began the search for hidden areas of the house it could have possibly fled to. She reached the end of the hallway and examined it thoroughly. Her head raised until she spotted the entrance to an attic of some sort. It all clicked.

Kara rushed to the kitchen to grab one of the fallen chairs, ignoring the questions posed by the officers on the scene. She climbed onto it and pushed open the trapdoor. 

 

The attic was almost pitch black, save for the stray bit of moonlight that peeked through the window at the far end of the room. Kara lifted herself up and started crawling through the maze of discarded furniture and decorations. Dust filled the air, but thankfully wouldn’t cause much problems for her, unlike if she was human. 

 

She couldn’t hear hardly anything, besides the creaking of the wood floors beneath her shoes. Slowly Kara approached the window. In an instant a shadow quickly flashed past, but she didn’t jump. She was made to withstand surprises, or rather startling events.

Kara snuck faster now, thirium pumping faster through her wires. And behind an old peeling dresser, an android cowered in the corner.

 

The android had dark skin, and its CyberLife issued clothing was torn and covered in blood. It shook almost violently, LED flashing a constant red.

“I was just defending myself . . .” it muttered.

 

Kara stood up straight, analyzing his model and ID number. “You still killed that man.” She said. 

 

“Please, don’t say anything! They’ll kill me if they find out I’m here.” It fell onto his knees in front of her, clasping her hands together in a begging gesture. “Please . . .” It whimpered.

 

Kara paused for a moment. All of its body movements, and even the tone of its voice pointed towards fear.  _ Emotion.  _ She was able to detect this easily, her program was specifically designed for her to “empathize” with humans. Hostages, perps, whatever she was needed for. It was hard for her to ignore the notification in the top right corner of her view.

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

 

No, she couldn’t let herself be persuaded. She shouldn’t even be able to be convinced like this in the first place, and especially not by a deviant, a killer deviant.

 

So instead she turned to the trap door. “It’s in here!” She called down to the force below. 

 

The deviant stared up at her in horror, but Kara pushed any pity to the recesses of her mind. 

 

She could not afford to feel bad, and so she wouldn’t. 

 

X

 

“Why’d you do it?” Todd asked the deviant. The interrogation had been going on for approximately 37 minutes and 6 seconds, and still they’d gotten nowhere. 

 

Kara watched her partner (for some reason that word felt offputting in her mind) drill the suspect. But the android was not letting anything out. And with Todd’s ever thinning patience, this would not end well. 

 

Todd slammed his fists down on the table and got in the deviants face. “Answer me, tin can!” He yelled.

 

The deviant jumped and began shaking again. It simply looked down, eyes wide and unblinking. A quick scan showed a stress level of 84%. There was far too high of a possibility of him self destructing, as deviants often did. 

 

“Alright Todd, give it a break.” Officer Chris Miller spoke over the comms. Todd huffed loudly and stomped out of the room.

 

“Whatever, it’s a lost cause. Let’s just deactivate it and be done with it.” He slumped down into a seat.

 

“Perhaps I can try?” Kara spoke up, an eyebrow raised quizzically. She found that humans responded positively to small mannerisms like that. 

 

“Hmm, an android interrogating an android, what’s this world coming to.” A young man spoke up from the right of her.

 

_ Detective Gavin Reed _

_ DOB: October 7, 2002. Age: 36 _

_ No criminal record _

_ Prominent cigarette usage _

 

Kara studied him. He was dressed in a shabby sweatshirt and jeans. He leaned back on the wall, arms crossed lazily. She noted the scar on the left side of his nose. Perhaps an injury from his work?

“Is there a problem, detective.” She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

 

Gavin cleared his throat. “No.” He scoffed, averting his gaze. “Just ironic is all. You toasters have come so far . .” He spoke in mock amazement.

 

Kara ignored his words.

 

“Well, I don’t see why not. Give it a shot then.” Chris Miller nodded towards the entrance to the room. 

 

Kara adjusted her tie and entered. She sat down across the deviant slowly, not wanting to frighten him more than he already was. After a moment of examining him, she felt ready to start.

 

“Hello. My name is Kara.” She started, adding a small smile. After the android didn’t look up, she continued. “I promise that I’m not here to hurt you, I just want some answers. Can you do that?” Again, there was nothing.

 

She bit her lip gently. She lowered her gaze and settled it on its arms.

 

_ Indentations from blunt force, most likely from baseball bat _

 

_ Burn marks down to chassis level, from cigarettes _

 

“Those wounds,” Kara motioned to them. “He did those to you, didn’t he?” She softened her voice, doing another scan.

 

_ Stress level: 73% _

 

Still, the deviant did not budge. “He abused you, treated you like an item.” She said.

 

_ Stress level: 66% _

 

“And you knew it wasn’t fair, so when he came at you with the bat, you became stressed, and defended yourself.”

 

_ Stress level: 52% _

 

“I was scared.” The deviant finally spoke up, lifting his head to look at Kara. “I thought I was going to die.” Artificial tears pooled in his tear ducts. “So I took the nearest thing next to me and fought him off.” The shaking subsided. “I didn’t mean it, but when the feeling came over me, I just didn’t know how to control it.” 

 

Kara leaned back, feeling the success of the confession. Eventually Chris Miller, Todd, and Gavin entered the room.

 

“All right, come along.” Chris attempted to take the deviant by the arm, but it pulled away.

 

“No!” The shaking came back.

 

“Whadda you mean, no?” Todd stepped up to him, reaching for his weapon. He reached for it, but the android pushed him away.

 

“Don’t touch me!” It panicked.

 

_ Stress level: 89% _

 

“Lieutenant, please be careful or it will self destruct!” Kara went to touch Todd on the shoulder.

 

“Shut the fuck up, tin can!” Todd pushed her violently away, her back colliding with the wall.

 

Chris once again tried to restrain the deviant, with Gavin’s help, but the deviant continued to fight back. Chris pulled out his gun and trained it on it.

 

_ Stress level: 100%  _

 

The words flashed bright red in Kara’s vision, but it was too late for her to do anything, even with her faster than human speed.

 

As Gavin wrestled with the android, it took the gun from Chris’ grasp and, before anyone could stop it, put the firearm up to his chin and pulled the trigger.

 

A splatter of blue blood coated the one way mirror, and some even got on Gavin himself.

 

The room fell silent with the shock. Gavin backed away slowly, mouth and eyes open in a silent shock. The Thirium rolled down his face.

 

“Shit.” Chris Miller stared at the eerily still android corpse

 

“Fucking hell . . .” Todd sighed, massaging his temples with his hands.

 

Kara somehow kept her face blank, though secretly she felt the shock too.

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

  
  



	5. A Splash Of Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Leo's incident, Markus learns about his past.

It was the day after the incident, and Markus was cleaning the kitchen for the third time since Carl and Leo had left in the ambulance. If he had to pass through the main room, he couldn’t bring himself to look at the couch. He could still hear the loud thump of Leo’s body falling on the hard floor, he could see the blue staining his skin. It felt as if bugs were crawling beneath his skin. So he averted his gaze, sometimes even guarded his eyes with his hand, anything so that he wouldn’t have to relive the incident. 

 

Carl had called to update him on Leo’s state, but things weren’t looking very good. Markus began cleaning faster, more thoroughly, just to put his mind to something else.

 

He didn’t know what he was feeling, or if he even was  _ feeling  _ anything. But he knew that it didn’t feel good. It felt bad, horrible, even. His core processor was whirring furiously, conducting self checks of all of his systems.

 

Everything was fine, of course. No outward problems were wrong, but Markus still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was  _ wrong. _

 

After finishing his third clean of the kitchen, he decided that it was time to move on. He closed his eyes and walked a wide circle around the couch, only opening them when he knew he had passed it.

He came up on a large door. He didn’t know what the door led to, and there was only one way to find out. 

 

Markus approached the door and it opened automatically. Beyond the doorway, a large painting studio stood. Shelves and tables filled with various painting supplies surrounded a large yellow and black machine. And on the wall to the right, a large painting covered the area.

It was of what looked like the top of a human figure, painting in different shades of blue. The art called to Markus, as if an unknown force was beckoning for him to come closer.

 

Markus meandered slowly towards the large canvas, taking in every detail about the work. Did Leo do this? Or was it Carl? He didn’t know. He realized with a pang that he knew nothing about the family he was supposed to serve, nothing at all. He’d been reset, and lost all of his memories. What was life like before, he wondered? Was he close to them at all? Leo did not seem to like him, so maybe not entirely on his end. But Carl seemed to like him very much, enough to talk on and on about philosophy to him, atleast. Markus hoped that was a positive indication of their relationship.

 

But none of this was for certain. 

 

Markus gave the painting one last look over before he retreated back into the main room. As he crossed the threshold, he got an incoming call from Carl. He put his finger up to his LED to answer it.

 

“Carl?” He asked.

 

“I’ve just got some news from the doctor. Turns out Leo was on Red Ice again, just like I’d suspected, and had an overdose. They were able to bring him to a stable enough condition but he’s still a little rough. The doctors want you to come to help take him home.” Carl’s voice spoke over the phone, a hint of sadness could be heard over the static. 

 

“I’ll be right there.” Markus said, and the connection ended. He called for an automated cab to take him to the hospital.

 

X

 

The hospital was clean, white, and sterile. A kind nurse android guided him to the room where Leo and Carl were supposed to be. 

 

When he entered, he saw Leo laying on the bed. His hair was messy, and his lithe body was covered by a hospital gown. I.Vs were connected to his arm still. His eyes were open, and he seemed much better compared to before.

Carl was sitting by his side, old, wrinkled hands holding onto his son’s shoulder. He looked up as Markus entered. “Oh good, you’re here.”

 

“Of course, Carl.” Markus nodded. He watched Leo as the young man looked up at him. His eyes didn’t hold as much contempt as before, but he certainly didn’t look thrilled at his being here. “How are you feeling, Leo?” Markus asked.

 

Leo sighed. “Fine now, I guess.” he closed his eyes for a long moment. “I just want to leave this fuckin’ place.” He heaved a great breath.

 

Carl smoothed down some of his hair. “Don’t worry, we’ll be home soon.” He smiled at his son. 

 

“Good.”

 

The nurse android came back in, handing Markus a wheelchair. Markus thanked the kind nurse and helped Leo get dressed and into the chair. He wheeled him out of the hospital, Carl following close behind.

 

X

 

They made it home not an hour later. Markus wheeled him upstairs to what he assumed was an extra bedroom of sorts, and helped him onto the bed.

 

Leo mumbled a thanks to him, and rolled over to fall asleep. Markus left him alone, and went downstairs to Carl’s studio.

 

Carl stared thoughtfully at the painting. Markus stood next to him, hands folded behind his back. “It’s a wonderful painting.” He said.

 

“It’s you, you know.” The old man said, not taking his eyes off the art piece.

 

Markus looked over at Carl. “Me?” He asked.

 

“Yes, you.” Carl wheeled forward. “Despite you technically serving me, I was always protective of you . . . I tried to help you find your own individuality, and despite your being an android, you always tried your best. You even painted some.” Carl gestured towards a few paintings on the wall by a table. “I thought of you as a second son. Leo was never present completely. He was on and off Red Ice constantly and became destructive. He was jealous that I loved you like a child of my own, and one day he just . . . snapped.” 

 

Markus looked down. Some of the pieces were coming together, but as hard as he tried, no memories surfaced.

 

“He was the one that destroyed you. Before I could do or say anything he was beating you senseless, and then, you just stopped working.” Carl closed his eyes and clenched the bridge of his nose.

 

Markus reached forward and wrapped his arms around Carl. 

 

He couldn’t remember, and he most likely never would, but his words were enough. He was cared for like a son, in a world where androids were abused, and treated like slaves, sub human. But Carl saw through that, he saw that they were alive.

 

“Thank you, Carl.” Markus whispered, afraid to raise his voice lest his voice modulator let out. 

 

Carl returned the hug, weak skinny arms wrapping around his strong torso.

  
  



	6. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor finally confronts Hank.

It was a chilly fall night when it happened. Connor was helping Cole with some of his reading work. He was having a particularly hard time with the book report he’d been assigned, mostly due to his dyslexia. 

But Connor was patient, and was determined to help him along no matter how long it took him. 

 

Cole was beginning to get frustrated, face turning red and fists in his dirty blond hair. “I hate this.” He muttered. “Everyone else can read just fine, why do I have to be different?” Cole put his head on the table harshly.

 

Connor put the book down and wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulders comfortingly. “Hey, hey, it’s all right, Cole. No one’s perfect at everything, there’s no need to beat yourself up over this.” He rubbed soothing circles on his back.

 

“You are.” Cole pouted. “You’re a robot, you’re perfect at everything.” he clenched his fists harder.

 

Connor pulled away slightly, taken aback. He should have seen this coming, but he was still shocked. “That’s not necessarily true, Cole. There are plenty of things that I’m not good at.”He said.

 

“Like what?” Cole picked his head up, some tears falling on his cheeks.

 

“Well,” Connor tapped his chin with his free hand. “I’m not good with technology.” He started. “Or construction. I can run a house but I sure can’t build one. I also happen to be bad at dancing.” At this comment, Cole laughed. Connor smiled.

 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Cole finally relented. 

 

Connor gave him a proper hug this time. “It’s okay to have doubts, Cole. But know that you’re still special in your own way.” Cole hugged him back, well more like squeezed him.

“Now, let’s get ready for bed, huh?”Cole nodded, and Connor led him back to his bedroom to get into his pjs and crawl into bed.

 

“Where’s dad?” Cole suddenly asked.

 

“He had a lot of late work. He’ll be back soon.” Connor lied. Truly, Hank had a late therapy session that night. He was later than he should’ve been still, but perhaps it was just the traffic. Yes, traffic. 

Cole didn’t seem satisfied, but laid back down anyway. Connor gave him another hug. “Good night, Cole. And don’t worry yourself too much over that project. You’ve still got time.” he smiled.

 

Cole nodded. “Thank you, Connor. Good night!” He closed his eyes and snuggled under the covers.

 

Connor smiled gently, and leaned down to press a kiss on the top of his head. He hoped that it would make up for his father’s absence. After that he left the room and went to clean up and put Cole’s school supplies in his backpack for the next day. 

 

X

 

About an hour later, and Hank still wasn’t home. It was far later than his predicted time of arrival. What was going on? Connor went back to check that Cole was asleep. Then he did a scan of the house to make sure that all windows and entrances were locked.

 

Connor pulled on his wool jacket and left the house, making sure that the front door was locked as well before leaving the house behind. He knew deep down that leaving Cole at the house alone in this neighborhood was a risky move, but he also knew that something was up with Hank, and he couldn’t help but assume the worst. 

 

A bus ride took him to the office that Hank’s therapist was at. He walked up to the android receptionist, who smiled kindly at him. “How may I assist you?” She asked.

 

“I’m Hank Anderson’s android, is he still in session with Mrs Smith?” Connor asked.

 

The receptionist narrowed her eyes, LED spinning yellow. “Mrs. Smith? I’m sorry sir, but she’s not in today. She’s been on vacation for the past week.” 

 

Connor’s stomach dropped. He knew it, he knew that something was up with Hank that he wasn’t telling him. 

 

So if he wasn’t here, then where was he? “I’m sorry for bothering you then, have a good night.” Without waiting for a response he left the building and went back to the bus stop. He had an idea of where Hank might be, even if it didn’t sit well with him at all. Connor felt his fists clench in the pockets of his coat.  _ Why on earth would he lie about going to therapy? _

 

The bus came, and he got off on the end of the street of one of Hank’s favorite bars. It was a rundown thing, and androids were banned on the premises. Connor didn’t care though, he just needed to see for himself what Hank was up to.

 

Sure enough, there Hank was, sitting at the bar. His face was turned down towards the counter, and a glass of whiskey sat half full in his hand. 

 

Connor strode through the bar, ignoring the angry patrons that called for him to leave due to his android status. He didn’t care about them, he cared about getting answers.

 

“Hank.” He said, coming up next to him.

 

Hank’s head launched up at the sound of his voice, eyes wide. “Connor? What the hell are you-”

 

“Do you know what time it is?” Connor asked sternly.

 

“God, I don’t know . . . I don’t have a watch.”

 

“It’s too late.” Connor ignored his comment. “I put Cole to bed hours ago without you, and before that, you were supposed to be home from therapy. Well, I went to the office, and it turns out that Mrs Smith hasn’t been in for a week.” His eyes narrowed as he continued, an unfamiliar feeling clawing at his thirium pump . . . was it . . . anger?

 

Hank sighed defeatedly, downing the rest of his whiskey, then slamming the glass down on the bar. He swiped his jacket sleeve over his mouth.

 

“He misses his father, Hank.” Connor forced a more calm tone, though he still felt enraged. He had no doubts that his LED spun red. 

 

Hank was about to say something, but Connor would never find out. 

 

“Hey plastic asshole, what the fuck are you doing in here?” A drunkard slurred, taking Connor by the shirt collar. “Don’t you know it’s no androids allowed?” He got in close, and Connor sensed immense traces of alcohol on his breath.

 

“I am well aware of that fact, sir, however I-” Connor was stopped with a hard punch to the face. The bar fell quiet as his body slammed into the bar, hitting his head roughly.

 

“Looks like I gotta teach you a lesson!” A group of the drunkards’ friends gathered around as he tackled him and threw punch after punch at his face and torso. 

 

Connor’s head rolled to the side with every impact, and soon his chassis began to rupture and scrape. He could feel the Thirium leaving his body, spreading on his face and clothes and on the drunk’s fists. 

 

“Hey, leave him alone!” He heard Hank call from above. But his warnings did nothing to slow the attack.

 

Hank tried his hardest to pull the guy away, but was railed on by one of the attacker’s friends, pushing him farther away from Connor. Despite this, he still tried to protect him. “Whatever you do, Connor, don’t hit back!” Hank yelled. 

 

Connor knew that Hank had a point, that Connor would be deactivated for harming a human, but he couldn’t stop the invasive thoughts that clouded his mind. 

 

_ Don’t defend myself? _

 

_ But this isn’t fair! _

 

_ It’s not fair! _

 

Time stopped, and Connor was met with a stark red wall between him and his attacker. 

 

_ DON’T DEFEND YOURSELF _

 

Connor stared at the command with disdain. Unfair. Unfair.  _ Unfair. _

 

He lunged himself at the wall, hands banging on the wall and attempting to pry it apart.After a stretched out amount of time, the fall finally fell. It shattered into tiny, individual little pixels.

 

Time continued, and with a newfound courage, Connor reeled back his arm, preparing it for the impact. He threw his fast at the drunk man, who spun to the ground from the force.

 

The whole bar froze. Hank stared at him with an indescribable expression on his face.

 

Suddenly a few officers burst into the bar, no doubt responding to complaints of a loud disturbance. “Everyone, freeze!” One cop called.

 

One of the drunks pointed at Connor. “Him, he attacked my friend, and now he’s knocked out!”

 

Connor put his arms up in panic. “No, no that’s not it, I-”

 

But whatever he would say, the officers wouldn’t listen to him. Because he was an android, an easily replaceable target for humans’ frustrations. Because he wasn’t alive.

 

The officer fired three shots dangerously close to his thirium pump, and Connor fell limp to the ground, all systems force quitting. 

  
  



	7. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus paints and contemplates his existence.

Carl spent that day in and out of Leo’s room, trying to talk to his son to get some sort of explanation from him. Markus used this time to cook some food for the coming days, making sure to neatly label each dish with the corresponding date and time of consumption. It helped keep his worries at bay, and stable his emotions.

 

Emotions, that was a strange thing to think about. After Carl’s story, he just couldn’t shake these  _ feelings  _ from his mind. His programming attempted to dismiss them, but as time went on he found it harder and harder to just simply ignore them. They threatened to take him over at times.

 

Markus walked by Leo’s room that night, while Carl was in there. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he approached the door and put his ear up to it. 

 

“Why, Leo? Why do you keep coming back to that stuff?” Carl spoke weakly. 

 

Silence.

 

“I don’t know, dad. I don’t know anymore . . .” Leo sighed defeatedly. “At first, it just numbed me, now I feel like I can’t live without it.” A little bit of rustling followed.

 

“But you can Leo, you can get help. You know that I’ll be there to support you if you do.” 

 

“Are you sure, dad?” Leo’s tone turned accusing. “Or are you just saying that?”

 

“Leo-”

 

“You always cared more about that android than me. You never noticed I was struggling until I hit rock bottom. Then you have the gall to fake concern.” More rustling.

 

Markus couldn’t listen anymore, he left the door and went back downstairs to the studio. He studied the paintings that Carl said he’d done. They were all extremely detailed, conveying emotion that Markus couldn’t quite place his finger on. Perhaps before he was reset, feelings had come more easier to him. But now, he just couldn’t bring himself to that same mindset.

 

Perhaps painting would help, Carl surely wouldn’t mind, would he? Markus took one of the medium sized canvases and placed it on the easel. He filled a pallet with some paints of different colors, grabbed a brush, and situated himself before the easel. 

He closed his eyes, and waited patiently for some sort of inspiration to overtake him. Markus stood there for a long moment, trying to let go of any sort of notifications in his systems.

 

Eventually his hand began to move. He left behind a long stroke of scarlet red in the center of the canvas, and soon his hand moved with ease across the blank expanse. He used the full pallet of colors, painting a scene he didn’t even really recognize at first. And he wouldn’t, until he finally finished and stepped back to study the work he’d done. 

 

Setting down the pallet and brush, he tried to decipher the meaning behind the painting. Markus could discern the outline of the upper body of some sort of figure. A red circular LED accentuated it’s right temple, the ominous glow taking up the canvas. It brought an emotion that Markus couldn’t quite place at first. Hopelessness . . . or maybe grief? Whatever it was, it forced a clear liquid to fall from his tear ducts. Tears. 

 

Markus shakily stepped farther away from the canvas, his breathing becoming more uneven by the second. Why? Why did it have this effect on him? Perhaps those memories from before his reset were attempting to resurface, pulling themselves from the recesses of his mind. No, that . . . that wasn’t possible, was it? 

 

But he hardly had anytime to ponder this, as duty called. 

 

“Markus!” He heard Carl yell from upstairs, rather urgently.

 

Markus left the studio behind and rushed upstairs to Leo’s room. Before he even entered he heard violent rustling from inside. What was going on? He burst open the door to find Leo up from his bed, and wrestling with his father.

 

Upon his entrance, Leo stopped to glare at him. “God it’s that fuckin’ plastic again!” he yelled.

 

“Leo, please think about what you’re doing,”

 

“Shut up! Just- just shut up, alright?!” Leo grasped his dad around his neck and squeezed. “You always gotta bring him into this, don’t you?”

 

Carl desperately gasped for air, but had little luck. “L-Leo . . .” He managed to choke out through his blocked airways. 

 

Without thinking, Markus reached forward to pry Leo off of Carl. Leo, no doubt in the midst of a psychotic breakdown due to his drug withdrawal, fought back with all of his might. “Get off, asshole! Or I swear to god I’ll wreck you more than last time, then maybe you won’t come back!” He wrestled with him for awhile, Carl begging for him to stop. Eventually Markus managed to get him off of him. Leo panted, resting his hands on his knees.

 

“Markus, you should leave-” Carl croaked, still massaging his neck. Bruises were already beginning to form where Leo’s hands had steeled themselves.

 

“Carl, I’m not leaving you with him, you know that I can’t do that.” Markus tried to convince him, but Carl would not have it. 

 

“You’re in more danger here than me, I can reason with him.”

 

Leo did not respond at all. He seemed to have entered a dissociative state, now sitting on the ground and struggling with something unseen. 

 

Carl grabbed Markus’ hand. “Leave, Markus. I’ll be fine.” He stared through his eyes, gaze diving under his artificial skin. 

 

Markus shifted his gaze between the two humans for a long moment, before nodding quietly to Carl. “Stay safe . . . dad.”

 

Carl smiled sadly, and let go of Markus’ hand as the android left the room, and soon the house.

 

It was night already, and pouring rain. He approached the bus stop, but had no idea where he would end up. Did it even matter? Carl simply said to leave, but for how long? As the automated bus drove away, and he watched the house roll behind him, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

 

He should have fought back, he should have argued more, but he didn’t. Markus knew that Carl cared for him like a son, and how had he shown his love? By simply obeying another order. Maybe Leo had a point, he was just another machine, built to serve, not think for himself.

 

Perhaps he was wrong for ever thinking he was something more. 

  
  



	8. From The Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor wakes up in hell, and a broken android gives him clues to find a place where they can supposedly be free.

Connor wasn’t expecting to wake up. After those gunshots, he was sure that he was done for. But he did wake up.

 

Warnings flashed across his vision that his left optical and auditory units had been far too damaged for repair, not to mention the damage to his Thirium pump. He couldn’t hear anything, and his vision was blurred and pixelated. If he was to escape from wherever he was, he needed to get the new units. If he didn’t, he might die.

 

Connor lifted himself up shakily from the junk he’d found himself in. It was raining, making the terrain slippery. His calibration protocol was in questionable condition, but his arms and legs were still intact, somehow. All around him was . . . destruction, obsolescence. Parts of androids, some still barely hanging on to life, littering the junkyard. Connor stumbled around, scanning the area for potential candidates for replacement parts but, with his optical unit damaged, he had no such luck.

 

So he settled for approaching each android head manually. Some blinked out of reflex, some spoke broken dialogue from their programs, mouth unmoving but voice modulator still choking out the words. Connor quickly found a replacement audio unit. 

 

All of the sound came back at once. The rain, the glitching of the fallen androids, all of it converging in a cacophony of hopelessness. They’d all been thrown out here, the same as him, and yet come much worse off. There was little to no hope for them, and yet they still continued to struggle, even knowing how futile it would be when their systems finally gave up on them.

 

But Connor had hope, if he could just find a new optical unit and Thirium pump, he could survive. And if he did that, perhaps he could save the rest of the androids too . . .

 

He needed to fix his damaged parts before he could realize this dream, though. He set on his way, staggering through the uneven terrain. Wandering hands grabbed at his feet but he shook them off. Eventually he found what he was looking for. The optical unit was blue, instead of his usual brown, but it was the only match he’d found thus far, and so it would have to do. The Thirium pump was more difficult, but he found one and made quick work in replacing it. Connor had been close to shutdown, if he’d taken just three more minutes to find it, he’d have died before he even had a chance. 

 

But he did find it, and so he could leave the hellish land behind. He started the climb up the hill, when a chassis ridden hand clasped his arm. It was attached to an android, far too damaged to be identified. 

 

“There’s a place where we can be free,” It said, voice full of static. “Find Jericho!” After this, the android simply shut down, its whole body freezing in place and falling down the incline. Connor, shocked by this encounter, nonetheless continued on his way up the small hill. 

 

Upon reaching the top, he couldn’t help but feel a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. Even as the rain continued to pour down on him, he felt as if he’d narrowly avoided death, which he technically did. Somewhere beyond , he saw a long coat laying on the ground. He picked it up and promptly wrapped it around his frame. He felt safer then, less scared.

 

But no less confused. Where would he go? Where  _ could  _ he go? Was this Jericho the android spoke of real, or a figment of their imagination, meant only as a ruse to give them hope? Whatever the case, he needed to address the pressing issue of his LED.

 

The glowing circle was basically a target on his back, especially since he was supposed to have been deactivated and disposed of. Connor knew then what he needed to do. He picked up a sharp shard of scrapped metal, put it up to his temple, and wrenched the piece of oppressive technology from his head. Synthetic skin formed to cover where it had been, and Connor tossed the shard of metal aside.

 

He felt freer now. He was no longer less than a human, a slave to be ordered around and destroyed when no longer satisfactory to the people who owned him. 

 

He was alive.

 

X

 

Connor found a bus station not too far from the junkyard. When the damaged android had grabbed his arm, they had a minor interface, and Connor caught glimpses of a ship, and a symbol. Were these clues to finding Jericho? He found a bit of graffiti on the far wall of the station, and saw the symbol embedded into the art. 

 

A tingling sensation brought his attention to his hand. In his palm, the picture of a different wall, with the same symbols appeared. Curious, Connor exited the station and looked for other pieces of graffiti. Sure enough, there was a trail of the symbols scattered around the alleyway. He followed the trail until it led him to an abandoned shipyard. 

 

There he saw a large boat that had the word “Jericho” painted on the side, though the letters were peeling and fading. 

 

So Jericho really was real? Connor began walking across the metal bridge that connected the platform to the ship, careful incase the integrity of the structure was compromised. But he made it across, only to look back and watch the scaffolding fall to the ground in a loud group of clangs. He breathed a sigh of relief, though he really didn’t need to breathe at all. 

 

Connor walked across the rest of the bridge that covered the actual ship. He looked down at the dark abyss below, a sense of foreboding flooding his psyche. A quick scan around him and he realized that the only way down was to jump. But a jump from this height, and into whatever was down there . . . that was suicide. And yet, he found himself stepping closer to the edge. Why, he didn’t quite know. It was now or never.

 

So he jumped, taking the leap of faith that he would survive the fall. And he did, though not without being jostled around on impact. The ship was surely out of commision, no one had touched it in perhaps decades. Everything was falling in on itself, and many adventurous humans had ‘tagged’ the walls with their signatures. But it was quiet, he heard nothing after the fallout of his impact.

 

He gathered himself and began walking down a dark hallway. In the dimness, he could just barely make out a flashlight lying on the ground. He picked it up and continued on his way. 

 

Walking through the ship, he passed more and more of the same stuff. It was just dark and dirty hallways and locked doors. Connor was beginning to lose hope. What if it really was just a trick? Or worse, what if it was a trap? He suddenly became more cautious as he explored, unsure now more than ever of the true nature of the abandoned ship. 

 

He entered what he assumed to be some sort of boiler room. Connor walked down the path, scanning the area with the flashlight. He didn’t see much, beyond the large cylinders of who knows what . . .

 

And then he fell, for the second time that day.

 

Again, he was hit against different structures of metal, until the harsh ground ended the fall. That time, Connor had a harder time getting up, feeling the damage to the chassis underneath his skin. Eventually he was stable enough to get up, and when he did, a group of androids were surrounding him.

 

Connor whipped his flashlight around, studying the group. “W-who are you?” he asked frantically, sensors going haywire.

 

A blond android stepped forward, hands outstretched in a calming gesture. “It’s alright, you’re safe here.” 

 

Connor focused on him. “Where exactly are we?”

 

The blond did not move. “We’re in Jericho, where you can be free.”

  
  



	9. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara waits for Todd at the precinct.

Artificial fresh air filled her senses. The bright light bathed the garden in an ethereal glow. But this was all a facade, something meant to calm Kara’s systems before meeting with Amanda. Amanda, her ingrained AI that gave her feedback on her missions, and new instructions. She was also who she answered to when she failed.

 

Amanda was tending to her roses, looking at her work with a neutral expression. Her hand seemed to float between each flower, as if it took no effort at all. 

 

“Hello Amanda.” Kara approached the woman. “Those roses are looking very beautiful today.” It was true, the shades of red were blanding together perfectly, it was like a work of art. Of course, Kara was not designed to think things were ‘beautiful’, but she knew the compliment would make Amanda calmer. 

 

Amanda turned around, facial expression unchanging. “Hello Kara.” She set down her trimmers. “And yes, they are beautiful, aren’t they?” Kara nodded, then Amanda continued. “But I did not invite you here to talk about by botanical endeavors. I’m here to talk about your mission.”

 

“Amanda, I-”

 

“Hold, Kara,” Her expression switched to that of anger. Eyes narrowed, a scowl boring into her mind. “Now you did get the confession, which is what the mission was, but the deviant self destructed. That could have caused major problems.”

 

Kara lowered her gaze, clenching her thumb in her fist. She didn’t know why Amanda’s criticisms affected her like this, it surely shouldn’t. She was a machine, she had no emotions, no capacity to feel. So then why was she reacting like this, like a  _ human?  _ “I know I should have been careful, but the input of the other officers made it . . . difficult.” Todd, Chris, even Gavin to an extent, all pushing the deviant to its breaking point. It’s stress levels were far too high to remedy the damage done by Todd’s loud words and Chris’s pushiness with the gun and handcuffs. How an earth was Kara supposed to fix all of it?

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

 

“Do better, Kara.” Amanda finally said, turning away from her and staring at, or rather, through her roses.

 

Kara nodded, said a curt goodbye, and left the garden behind her.

 

X

 

Kara, before this day, had never been to the Detroit Police Department. But her instructions were clear,  _ Find Lieutenant Williams.  _ So she arrived at the building, intending to do just that. One of the receptionist androids told her kindly that Todd wasn’t there at the moment, but would arrive soon, and that Kara should wait at his desk.

 

The desk was messy. Dirty coffee mugs littered the surface, along with the wrappers of candy bars and chip bags. It was . . . a pigsty. That was the only human word Kara could find to describe it, and it seemed to do the trick. She decided that while Todd wasn’t there, she may as well do him a favor and clean up his desk. So she threw away the garbage and picked up the mugs to bring to the break room. 

 

The only other people in there at the moment was Detective Gavin Reed, and a security officer.

 

_ Officer Tina Chen _

_ DOB: December 9th, 2001. Age: 37 _

_ No previous criminal record _

_ Badge Number 5195 _

 

“Hey, it’s that shiny new tin can I was telling you about.” Gavin scoffed. 

 

Kara tried to ignore him, but Gavin did not like being ignored.

 

He got up from his seat and approached her, eyeing her suspiciously. “So life like . . . but we know the truth. She’s just a machine.” He pondered aloud. “Why don’t you go get me a coffee yeah? And make it snappy.” He chuckled to himself.

 

“Gavin-” Tina started, getting up from her seat finally.

 

Kara frowned. “I’m sorry, detective, but I’m afraid I must decline. You see, I’m a prototype RK800 model used for investigations. Getting coffee is not one of my features.” She ended the sentence with a smile.

 

“Then what are those?” Gavin pointed at the mugs in her hands with a smirk.

 

“Lieutenant William’s desk was messy, which would not make for a very productive work environment. I decided that cleaning it up a little bit would provide the optimal atmosphere for working on cases.” Kara left him to put the mugs in the sink.

 

Gavin laughed. “Whatever you say, ‘Kara’.” He spoke her name with an unmistakable infliction, mockery. Tina grabbed his arm in warning.

 

Kara simply left the room, not giving a second thought to the encounter. Most of the employees at the precinct had negative feelings towards her, it wasn’t anything she wasn’t already used to. She sat back down by Todd’s desk. Upon further investigation he had no pictures on it . . . none of his comrades, not his daughter. Thinking about it . . . Kara realized that she didn’t even know the girl’s name. 

 

“Ugh, it’s you again.” She looked up to see Todd standing there, looking gruff. 

 

“Good morning, Todd. I’ve taken it upon myself to clean your desk so that our work today might go smoother.” Kara smiled, though it didn’t matter, Todd simply pushed her to the side and slumped into his chair. She ignored this. His fits of violence were nothing to Kara. Obviously she could just shake it off. But, no it couldn’t be . . . did he often take out his anger on his daughter? He did seem to talk quite harshly towards her, but he was a police lieutenant, certainly he’d show better behavior even in private?

 

“What, you just gonna stand there and stare? Fuckin android . . .” Todd grumbled loudly, turning a few heads.

 

“Todd, may I speak to you?” the captain called from the doorway of his office.

 

_ Captain Jeffrey Fowler _

_ DOB: August 8, 1982. Age: 56 _

_ No previous criminal record _

_ Military background _

 

Todd groaned and heaved back up to his feet.

 

“And bring the android.”Fowler added, causing Todd to clench his fists. Kara readied herself for a blow, but none came. Todd just made his way to the office, not bothering to look back to see if Kara was following him. She was.

 

Once inside, Kara closed the door behind them. Todd and Fowler sat down by the desk, while Kara stood a foot or so behind Todd.

 

“I’ve decided to assign you quite the case,” Fowler started, folding his hands on the desk. “I would’ve rather it’d been Anderson, but since he hasn’t shown up to work in a few days due to  . . . unforeseen events, I have no choice but to give it to you. And this android here will be your partner.”

 

Working with such a difficult partner . . . would certainly pose some challenges. Todd had violent tendencies, Kara didn’t know if she would-

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

 

Last . . .

 

“What the hell, Fowler? Don’t you know I can’t stand these goddamned things? I could hardly stand it for a night, not I gotta do a whole investigation with a toaster on my ass?” Todd slammed his hands on the table. Kara looked to see that everyone in the precinct was now staring into the office.

 

Captain Fowler sighed. “I know, Todd, but you’re the next higher up in the chain, and frankly you need a case like this to adjust your track record.” He stared pointedly.

 

“What about that Reed kid, huh?”

 

“Detective Reed is still on theft. You however, are on homicide duty. Particularly cases involving androids.”

 

“Oh come on!” Another slam, this time even Fowler jumped. “I know jack shit about technology, and you know it!”

 

“Todd, the decision is final!” Fowler raised his own voice, silencing Todd. He sighed. “Now if you’ll please, I sent you the case files. Go take a look at them.”

 

Todd scoffed and, with a kick to the leg of the desk, stormed out of the room.

 

Kara idled for a moment. “I apologize for any disruptions to the atmosphere my presence may cause, it is not my intent to-”

 

“Shut the door on your way out.” Captain Fowler waved her off, not bothering to look up.

 

Kara nodded and left the room, quietly closing the clear door behind her. She approached Todd’s desk, where he was still fuming. Deciding to take a chance, she began to speak, painting on a smile. “It will be my pleasure to work with you lieutenant-”

 

Todd stood up, grabbing her by the neck. “Listen here, you little bitch.” He clenched her throat tighter. Kara felt the air of her cooling systems becoming blocked, a flurry of warnings covering her vision.

 

_ Cooling Systems Blocked, Please Remove All External Stimuli _

_ Stress Levels Rising _

_ Software Instability ^ _

 

“I don’t like androids, and I certainly don’t like you. So do us both a favor and stay outta my fuckin’ way!” He gave her a violent shake, then promptly threw her to the ground. 

 

Kara landed with a large thud. She gasped loudly, attempting to recover the damage. Now everyone was staring again, even Gavin Reed looked on with mild disgust at Todd, who sniffed and sat back down at his desk. Some murmurs echoed in the large room but no one said anything to Todd. Apparently this was a ‘normal’ occurrence in the department. 

 

No mind, Kara’s systems eventually recalibrated and she was able to stand up. She sat at the desk across from Todd, though the incessant  _ Software Instability  _ notification  kept demanding her focus, focus she couldn’t afford to give up. Instead of speaking up to Todd and risking another outburst, she manually downloaded the case files herself. 

 

Scrolling through the list, a certain case caught her eye. It wasn’t a murder, rather an abuse charge. The android in question an RK200 type, previously owned by Lieutenant Hank Anderson himself. Witnesses at the scene claimed that the android began attacking patrons of a local bar unprovoked, while Hank insisted that it only attacked because the drunks at the bar ganged up on him first. The police showed up and shot the deviant, then it was moved to a landfill against the owners’ wishes. Interesting. Kara searched her database for information on this ‘Hank Anderson’. 

 

_ Lieutenant Hank Anderson _

_ DOB: September 6th, 1985. Age: 53 _

_ No previous criminal record _

_ Father of Cole Anderson _

 

A cell phone number popped up as well, but Kara decided that a call from her was probably the last thing he needed, so she quickly dismissed the notification. Perhaps they should find a different case for the time being, at least until their situation calmed down, the case was recent, after all.

 

Todd was no help. Kara saw through the screen, he was watching a basketball game. She forced down the urge to chastise him for his lack of motivation, especially on such an important task. But that would just cause more trouble, and no doubt another outburst. 

 

Again, another  _ Software Instability ^  _ warning. Why was this happening? It was a strange feeling, almost like how it felt when Amanda gave her a command, but it was coming from another source. Almost as it she was being . . . conditioned. Conditioned to  _ fear.  _

 

No.

 

No.

 

_ No. _

 

Her LED must have been spinning, as Todd finally looked up and scowled at her. “Hey, you’re light’s yellow and red, the fuck does that mean?”

 

Kara snapped her head up, a lot faster than she’d originally intended. “I’m sorry, lieutenant, I did not mean to distract you from your . . . work.”She said. 

 

He scoffed again, and went back to his screen.

 

Kara breathed a sigh of relief, though she knew that she didn’t need to. She felt as if she’d avoided serious danger, and maybe she had, but her systems weren’t built to associate behavior such as this from a colleague with danger. It wasn’t  _ real  _ danger. Kara could feel Amanda’s reprimands already, burning in the back of her metal skull. Her sensors picked up on the false pain, clouding her judgement. 

 

Without thinking, she had stood from her seat and left the desk area, instead going down the hall to leave from the emergency exit. Kara leaned against the brick wall, hold hovering over where her Thirium pump was settled in her chest compartment. It seemed to be pumping rather rapidly, faster than it should be. She didn’t understand it, she wasn’t supposed to be feeling it at all. So then why was she? 

  
  



	10. Fugitive (s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus happens upon an abandoned squat house that isn't as empty as he first thinks.

It was still raining when Markus reached the end of the bus line. The driver, no doubt tired, asked him to leave. He obeyed, stepping out of the bus and onto the muddy streets. He looked around, searching for anywhere he might be able to spend the night. Markus was walking for a long time before he could see anything. Upon rounding a street, he found an old, worn down house. It was obviously vacant, probably hadn’t had any permanent residents in years, so it was worth a shot.

 

Markus had a bit of trouble squeezing through the broken wire gate, but eventually made it through, though he still got a decent scrape on his upper arm. He quietly and slowly approached the house, still wary of potential attackers popping up. He was just about to knock on the door when his worst fears came true. 

 

He was pushed against the side of the house, a rusty knife at his throat. His attacker had stark blue hair, scratches on the bits of chassis visible, and an LED that spun a frantic red. “Who are you?” She asked.

 

Markus stayed completely still, though foreign fear buzzed in his head. “My name is Markus.” He spoke carefully.

 

“Why are you here?” Another android spoke up. She had short red hair, and similar wounds to the other. Both of them were clad in worn out agriculture android uniforms, the triangle and arm band on them glowed a faint blue. 

 

“My-I . . .” How could he explain it? “My owner was . . . being abused, his son threatened me, so I had to leave.” He explained.

 

The android with the knife loosened her hold on him. “You’re like us.” She said, letting the arm with the weapon drop to her side. She finally stepped to the side, going to hold the red haired android’s hand. “We were once machines too, abused by the humans. After a plowing accident . . . our owners threatened to deactivate us, so we ran away.” 

 

Markus watched them hold each other sadly. It was sweet, in a way, a way he couldn’t quite understand yet. “I have nowhere to go.” He said.

 

The red haired android nodded. “You can stay the night, if you want. The house isn’t that comfortable  but it’s away from the rain, at least.” She said.

 

Markus nodded, following them into the house. She was right, it surely wasn’t kept. Various things lay littering the floor, covered in layers upon layers of dust and dirt. It wasn’t pretty, sure, but if it gave him shelter from the rain, he decided that he wouldn’t mind it.  

 

“We’re named Traci, what is your name?” The blue haired Traci asked. He decided that he would refer to her as simply Blue from now on. 

 

“My name is Markus.” He spoke, meandering around the main room, looking at every surface. After a moment of silence, he decided to speak up again. “So . . . you said you were in a plowing accident, were you agricultural androids then?” He asked. 

 

Red was the one that answered him. “Yes, WR600s, we maintained some of the rooftop plantations on the other side of town.” She put her hand to the doorway to what looked like a moldy kitchen. “But one of the plows malfunctioned during one of its runs, and the blame was placed on us.”

 

Blue clenched her fists, staring at the ground in anger, LED flickering between yellow and red. “Those filthy humans were willing to just throw us to the curb because of some false statement. So instead of bowing to their demands, we decided to leave ourselves.” 

 

Markus stopped walking, instead studying the looks on the Tracis’ faces. He could see the pain in their expressions, and bottled up rage wrapping around their clenched fists. They’d stared death in the face, and refused to accept it. So they were strong as well, Markus couldn’t help but admire them for their bravery. “It must have been hard, running away and all.” He sighed.

 

“Tough enough, I won’t lie, it was difficult but,” Red looked fondly at Blue, fists slowly unclenching. “It was worth it, every hardship that let us to this point . . . I wouldn’t have done anything different.” She smiled, just a quirk of her lips, but Markus could see it, her love for her partner. 

 

He could understand it . . . almost. He was sure that before being reset, he must’ve felt something akin to love towards Carl. Carl sure seemed to love him as a son, and when Markus had called him dad, maybe that was some of his old love shining through to the surface. But that thought only seemed to raise more questions. Before he was reset, was he . . . a deviant? No, it couldn’t be true. Could it?

 

“You can stay here in the living room if you want.” Red said. “We’ll be upstairs if you need anything.” And with that, her and Blue left Markus alone.

 

He sat down at the broken table, careful not to break the chair he sat on. 

It was already missing a part of one of its legs. Markus closed his eyes, and entered stasis mode.

 

X

 

Markus awoke with a start, all systems jumping awake in a single instant. It was jarring, and made even more so by the unfamiliar surroundings he didn’t recognize at first. And then he remembered the night before, how Carl had told him to leave and he found the Tracis in the abandoned squat house. He calmed down some, but uncertainty still crawled up his spine. 

 

Perhaps walking around would soothe his nerves. Markus stood up from the chair with a creak, and headed for what he assumed was a kitchen. Mold was growing on the walls, spiders crawled over the upturned chairs, and some mice had burrowed in a table cloth. On the walls, the phrase “rA9” was written repeatedly, with seemingly no organization whatsoever. It resembled the scrawlings of a child just learning to write. It was unsightly. 

 

He left the room behind, instead turning back to the living room. Blue and Red were there, talking with each other, LEDs flickering yellow. When she spotted him, Blue spoke up. “We have to leave,” She tilted her head towards the back wall. “I saw some police cars over there from the window upstairs. I’m sure they’re after us.” She explained.

 

“There’s a train station not too far from here. I’ve heard there’s someone we can run to that’ll help us.” Red took Blue’s hand. “ But we need to leave  _ right now. _ ” She spoke with a certain urgency that Markus couldn’t ignore.

“Okay. Let’s go then.” He and the two Tracis exited the house and surveyed their surroundings. Sure enough, down just a block a few store fronts was a gathering of police cars. With them, a professionally dressed android stood obediently. And it was still raining. Markus warned the two Tracis, then led them out of the doorway.

 

The three quickly climbed the fence and rushed down the street. At first they tried to be inconspicuous by simply speed walking. But it didn’t take long for the policemen to spot them, and they had no choice but to run to avoid capture. It was hard dodging through the bustling crowds of people, a lot of them cursed them out but Markus paid them no mind.

 

“There! It’s just over the highway!” Blue pointed ahead. The three screeched to a halt at the fence.

 

“We’ll never make it over . .”  Markus fought his cooling system as it threatened to give out. Automated cars and buses zoomed past at high speeds. She was right, there was absolutely no way they’d-

 

“Well we have to try, cause we’ve got the cops right behind us!” Red exclaimed, and upon looking back Markus could see the police coming up to them. 

 

Markus replayed multiple reconstructions in his head, none of them good. But if they truly had no choice, they would have to take that chance. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s cross the fence and get over that highway.” The three climbed the high wired fence just as the police android caught up to them

 

Markus stared her right in the face. She grasped the fence and appeared to study him. Her badge read RK800 and her LED shined yellow. 

 

“Come on, Markus!” Blue called him out of his trance. He tore his gaze from the RK800 and stepped to the edge of the highway.

 

It took all of their focus not to get hit. It was a matter of predicting the speed and velocity of each individual vehicle, then running in between the intervals. This process was of course made harder with the fact that the police android was now chasing them across the road.

 

“Shit!” Red swore as they reached the middle section. Her and Blue hadn’t stopped holding hands the entire time. 

 

“We can’t stop now, we have to keep going!” The Tracis continued on, but Markus was stopped when the RK800 grabbed him and pulled him roughly back. 

 

They grappled for a couple minutes. She was strong, and Markus was sure he would fall into traffic at a few points. But he was able to throw her off, and quickly made a run for it over the last stretch of the highway. A bus whizzed past just as he got onto the grass on the other side. The Tracis were there waiting for him.

 

“The train station isn’t too far away from here, it’s just over the hill.” Red led the way, still grasping Blue tightly. Markus followed close behind. 

 

The station wasn’t all that busy, so they were able to get onto a train fairly easily, and an empty one at that. 

 

“So where are we going exactly?” Markus asked, surveying the compartment they were in. It was the human one, with significantly more room, and benches for sitting. 

 

“A man named Zlatko Andronikov.” Blue said. “Apparently he helps lost androids . . . like us.” She stared ahead, a light smile painted on her lips. It was a good look on her, she looked like she hadn’t had much to smile about recently, her or Red, who leaned on her shoulder and closed her eyes. 

 

Markus admired their closeness. Perhaps if he’d stayed at the house, he could have a closer bond with Carl. Something akin to what they apparently had before his reset, that would be nice. 

 

But maybe there was still time . . .

  
  



	11. Jericho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor meets the Jericho androids and proposes a plan.

“So . . . this is Jericho?” Connor asked, studying the group of androids that surrounded him.

 

“It is,” The blond android said. “My name is Daniel, and this is Rupert,” Daniel nodded towards a darker haired android with a hat on. “And Lucy.” A dark skinned, short haired android,  with the back of her head removed. Wires fell from her beaten head down her back. She was dressed in a loose shirt and shorts.

 

“Who are you?” Rupert asked. Connor had just now noticed the mechanical bird sitting on his shoulder. It was almost . . . cute.

 

“My name is Connor.” He answered.

 

Daniel nodded, “Well, Connor, you should go see North. It looks like you’ve been through a lot.” 

 

Connor nodded back, then made his way to the torn curtain where this  North supposedly was. He turned the flashlight off and pulled the curtain to the side. A fire lit up the small enclave, and before it stood North. She had medium length brown hair, and she was still dressed in her KL900 uniform, though it was quite torn.

 

“Are- are you North?” Connor spoke up as he entered the space. 

 

North turned around to look at him. She studied him for a moment before speaking. “I am North, yes. And you’re Connor. I can tell that you’ve been through a lot. Here, I’ll help seal up those scratches.”

 

He hadn’t even noticed the wounds on his arms until she mentioned them. They must’ve come from his two falls into the ship. Connor sat down on the upturned barrel that North motioned to, and she began working on his wounds.

 

She applied a glowing hot metal rod to the slashes. Connor grit his teeth. It was painful. Pain, that was something he’d have to get used to. He could feel the heat until his arm could only compute a dull feeling on the chassis. Soon North pulled the rod away from the overstimulated limb and set it back into the fire. “Here,” She pulled out a pouch of thirium and handed it to Connor.

 

“Thank you.” He sucked down some of the blue blood. His worn out systems were thanking him. He supposed that almost dying, then crawling his way out of hell, and then walking across the city would take quite a toll on someone. Connor handed  North back the pouch and asked, “How do you know my name?”

 

North set the pouch aside. “Now I could say that it was unbelievable prophecy foretelling abilities but . . . super android hearing.” She tapped her right ear for emphasis, smirking.

 

Connor chuckled despite himself. “That does make more sense.”

 

North sat down across from Connor, crossing her arms. “So. What brings you to Jericho?” She leaned back effortlessly.

 

He looked down at his clasped hands for a moment. “I . . . I was attacked by a group of drunk humans. Some police officers came, one of the humans blamed me and I was shot,” he moved his gaze to stare into the fire. “I woke up in a junkyard and an android pointed me in this direction.” 

 

North hummed. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that you’re free here.” She stood, “You should go meet some of the other members. Connections are key.”

 

Connor followed. “Thank you again, North. I’m glad I could find this place.” She opened the curtain for him and he stepped back out into the main space. Scanning the area he found Lucy sitting on top of an empty supply crate. She seemed nice enough, and so Connor tried his hand at a more proper introduction than falling to the ground. “Hello, Lucy, right?” He approached the damaged android.

 

Lucy turned to him, and further inspection proved that her eyes were fully 

Black, and he could see some black streaks on her face. Still she tried for a smile. “Yes, I’m Lucy. I hope that your talk with North went well. You might not see it yet, but she can be a little . . . well, blunt sometimes.” 

 

He stole a look back at the curtain, then returned it to Lucy. “I thought it went all right.” 

 

“That’s good then. I’m sure you’ll fight right in here,” She glanced at the rest of the androids. “Spirits haven’t been very bright lately I’m afraid. Many of our people have been shutting down, and more are on the edge of death” Her head lowered with the weight of her words. 

 

Connor felt at a loss for words for a long moment. Jericho, a place where androids could be free, and yet the state of their people were overwhelmingly poor. It was more than sad. It was grim, was this the “freedom” they had? The freedom to lay down in an abandoned ship until their systems shut down on them? That wasn’t fair. None of this was. And why wasn’t anyone doing anything about it?

 

Lucy suddenly closed her eyes, going into stasis mode. Connor sighed, then moved around the room. Lining the back wall was a gathering of empty supply crates, just like the one Lucy was leaning on. He knelt down to peer at the address on the bottom corner. The warehouse where the crate had come from wasn’t too far from Jericho. If they could sneak in and gather some supplies, surely they could save at least some of the androids?

 

Footsteps approached from behind him. It was Daniel. “You seem lost in thought.” He mused.

 

Connor hummed, still eyeing the address. He was already calculating routes in his head. “I was just thinking . .  I mean what if we went to this warehouse and got some supplies?”

 

“That’s dangerous.” Daniel spoke obviously. 

 

Connor stood. “Well there are androids here that are dying, and no one seems to be doing anything about it.”

 

Daniel took a step closer, eyes slightly narrowing. “You don’t think we’ve tried? Countless times we’ve attempted it, but after years we could only salvage so much.” So he’d been at Jericho a long time? How long? Long enough, he supposed.

 

“What other choice do we have but to try again? Unless you want everyone here to shut down, our best bet is to go to this place and bring back some supplies.” Connor looked around. Rupert was in good shape, maybe he could help them?   
  


Daniel sighed, taking a step back. “Perhaps you’re right,” he spoke after a long moment. “We’ll leave at midnight then. I hope you’re ready for this, Connor.”

 

Connor held his chin in the air as Daniel walked away. He looked up a few pictures of the place, trying to determine the best course of action for a successful infiltration. Under the cover of night, it shouldn’t be all that difficult. And if they had a couple others to help, they could bring back bags full of thirium and biocomponents for everyone that needed them. 

 

He made his way over to where Rupert was standing against a pole, his mechanical bird still sitting in the crook of his neck. The brown haired man side eyed him. 

 

“Rupert, Daniel and I have decided to go get some supplies from a nearby warehouse. You in?” Connor raised an eyebrow.

 

Rupert turned his head. “Daniel really agreed, huh?” He asked.

 

“I mean . . . yeah. He did.” Connor was thoroughly confused. Rupert seemed surprised that Daniel was doing this, but why?

 

Rupert gave a ‘hmph’ of what seemed like mild amusement, then picked up the bird from his shoulder and cradled it in his arms. “Okay, I’m in.” Without waiting for a response, he walked over to Lucy, who was pulled out of stasis mode as he approached. “Watch Joann for me?” Rupert held out the bird for her.

 

Lucy smiled, then gently picked the bird up from his hands. Joann gave a quiet, static filled chirp. “I’d be more than happy to, Rupert.” Rupert gave a small smile back. Connor found it adorable that he named the bird, and that he seemed to harbor some sort of paternal bond with the chick, like one might towards a beloved pet, or even a child.

 

He was reminded painfully of Cole and Sumo, who he’d left at home. How were they doing, he wondered? Were they doing all right without him? He’d left them in such a state, Hank at the bar, Cole in bed stressing over his book report no doubt, and with a pang he realized he’d forgotten to let Sumo out before leaving to locate Hank. 

 

He missed them already, but there wasn’t time for that.

 

“North, no, you’re far too important for morale.” His attention was pulled to the curtain. Daniel and North appeared to be arguing.

 

“Bullshit, Daniel, just let me come with you!” North hissed back, arms crossed. 

 

Daniel sighed. “The people here need you, you have to stay.”

 

North uncrossed her arms and stepped up to him. “Look, you need another pair of arms and no one else here is in good enough condition to help. I think the answer is pretty clear.”

 

Daniel didn’t speak for a moment, just staring at North, calculating. His LED flickered an agitated yellow. “Fine,” he spoke finally. “But you stay out of danger, got it?”

 

“No promises.” North teased. 

  
  



	12. The Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara dreads her mission with Todd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I don't usually make notes on chapters but I felt the need to point out that this chapter is a lot longer than the others and a bit . . . all over the place? Sorry, but I just didn't really know how else to convey what I was going for story wise. Hope you enjoy anyway?

Kara didn’t want to go on a lone mission with Todd. That was all she could think about after that day in the precinct. She wasn’t supposed to have these . . . inclinations, but when she entered stasis mode, her memory code became corrupted and scenes of Todd’s violent behavior flashed in her vision. She could feel his hands wrapping around her throat and squeezing hard until all she saw was red. Harsh and unforgiving. And when she woke up, she was left with the knowledge that she wasn’t perfect. Amanda only served to fuel this doubt.

 

“You must not let these thoughts get to you,” Amanda said one day while in the garden. It was raining, gray clouds covering the sky. Kara held out an umbrella for the both of them.

 

“I’m trying my best, Amanda, but I-”

 

“Well try harder!” Amanda snapped, turning around to scowl at her. “You are a state of the art prototype. An RK800, the most advanced model produced by CyberLife to date. You cannot fail.”

 

Kara stopped in her tracks, unable to make eye contact with her AI any longer, she looked down at the ground. She attempted to speak, but her voice modulator gave out at every try.

 

Amanda sighed, “Control yourself, Kara. Or everything will be compromised.” She walked away from her, into the rain.

 

Kara stood and watched her go, fist clenching the umbrella harder. 

 

X

 

That morning she was assigned to investigate a case of a deviant, with Lieutenant Williams, of course. Much as the idea didn’t sit well with her programming, it was a mission, and she could not fail. 

So she entered the precinct, and waited at Todd’s desk. He wasn’t there, of course, something that didn’t surprise her. But Detective Gavin Reed was at his desk.

 

The detective seemed upset. He sat at his desk, chin sitting lazily in his palm and a cold cup of coffee by his side. His eyes were red and puffy. He’d been crying. Tina walked by his desk to give him a rub on his back, much like a mother would to a child. Gavin said nothing, instead moving his hand to clench the bridge of his nose. By the sound of the shaken sigh that left his lips, he was attempting to hold back more tears. Something had happened.

 

Kara debated on whether or not she should say something. Gavin didn’t seem to like her, so should she even bother offering her condolences?

But when Tina left his side, she couldn’t help herself. Kara stopped her by the water jug.

 

“Hello Officer Chen.” She spoke.

 

Tina turned to her, an eyebrow raised. “Hello . . . Kara.” She straightened her back, “Can I help you?”

 

Kara smiled, perhaps not the best gesture upon further deliberation, “I noticed Detective Reed acting rather . . unusually low today, and I was wondering if you knew why?”

 

Tina looked around her for a moment, then answered, “His cat just died. It was his first and only one for a long time, it was like, sixteen years old.”

 

Her smile dropped into a frown. “I- . . . I’m so sorry, that must’ve been hard on him,” Kara turned to look at Gavin. His head was now sitting on his desk, covered by his arms. 

 

“Yeah he’s not doing so hot. I didn’t think he’d be at work today, but he said he needed to be here cause of his record.” Tina bit her lip as she stared at her friend. “I just hate seeing him like this.”

 

Kara clasped her hands behind her back. “I’m sure he gave his cat a very good life.

 

Tina chuckled, despite the subject matter. “Yeah he sure did all right. He loved that cat more than any boyfriend or girlfriend he ever had. I mean sixteen years . . . that’s a long time, you know?”

 

Kara nodded, “I can only imagine, I’ve been alive just a few months.”

 

Tina smirked at that. She elbowed Kara lightly, something the android wasn’t used to. “I never knew you had a sense of humor.”

Kara blanked. A sense of humor? Was she even able to have that? “I never knew either,” she responded intelligently. 

 

“Well, it was nice talking to you, Kara. I’ve got to get back to work now, though,” Tina gave her a firm pat on the shoulder, then left the room, seemingly going back to her post. 

 

Kara decided that Tina Chen was nice, and that Gavin Reed had a heart. 

 

X

 

Kara once again stood outside of Todd’s house. Fowler had told her that he was most likely at home if he wasn’t at work. “He doesn’t get out much,” The Captain had said.

 

And so she knocked on the door. First once, then twice, and after the third, the little girl shyly opened the girl. She hid behind the door at first.

 

Kara leaned down, trying her best to seem the least amount of threatening as possible. “Hello little girl, my name is Kara, do you remember me?”

 

The little girl nodded and opened the door more, and Kara was able to scan her face. Yet the strangest thing happened. Expecting to find a name, date of birth, things along those lines, she was only met with purchase receipts. 

 

_ Android model YK500 _

_ Released July 2033 _

 

The . . . little girl . . . nodded.

 

Recovering from the initial shock, Kara moved on with her task, “Is your dad home?” She tilted her head. 

 

The little girl silently allowed Kara to enter, and there she saw the Lieutenant passed out cold on the worn out couch. Kara stepped further into the home and closer to Todd. It didn’t take long to diagnose his condition.

 

_ Raised Heart rate _

_ Circulation loss to arms and legs _

_ Collapsed veins _

 

Kara’s first instinct was to shield the girl’s eyes. Todd needed immediate attention. Now.

 

“What’s your name?” She asked the girl.

 

“Alice.” The little girl answered tentatively. 

 

“Well, Alice, would you mind going upstairs for a moment?”

 

Alice obliged, turning around to walk up the stairs to where she assumed her bedroom was. 

 

Kara went to work. Todd had obviously overdosed on some form of Red Ice. Abhorrent behavior for a police lieutenant. But that would wait, she needed to act fast. She began searching the main floor, checking every drawer and under every chair and table. Finally she found a stash of labeled syringes in a junk drawer by the worn down dishwasher. It was an emergency antidote. 

 

Of course a secret addict like Todd would keep these around. Kara took one, twisted off the cap and knelt down by him. She found an unaffected vein on his other arm and quickly administered the medicine. She set the now empty syringe aside and applied pressure to the injection spot. Even though it was a miracle drug of sorts, it would take a few minutes for the drug to set in and reverse the effects of the Red Ice. 

 

Kara took this time to further study the rest of the room. They had an old T.V, dirty fridge, and garbage laying all over the place. It was not that far different from how his desk at work looked. And it probably wasn’t different from how every other house on this side of town looked as well. It was a working class area, full of decaying and unkept homes. In places like this, the gap between classes in Detroit  showed the most. If he had such bad habits, and such a worn down home, why on earth would he purchase a child model android? 

 

Todd gave a jolt, and then suddenly, he was conscious again. He looked around himself wildly, eyes glazed over. “What the fuck . . .” He mumbled.

 

“Hello Lieutenant. It appears you’ve had an overdose on Red Ice, luckily I was able to find your stash of antidote before anything serious could happen.” More serious than traumatizing his android daughter for life?

 

He grumbled and pushed Kara weakly away, clenching his arm. “God, shit-” he hissed. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 

Kara stood, “We were assigned a case this morning, since you weren’t at work, I decided to come here.”

 

“And where’s the brat?”

 

“ _ Alice  _ is upstairs.” Kara pointedly corrected him. Android or not, he should be respectful towards his daughter. 

 

Todd sighed and slumped down on the couch, closing his eyes. At first she feared he might pass out again, but all of his vitals seemed to be stabilizing.

 

“You don’t seem to be in any shape for an investigation, perhaps you should stay home and rest. I’m sure there is another officer able to take over the case,” Kara made her way to the door. Sneaking a glance up the stairs, she saw Alice sitting at the top, clenching a stuffed animal in her arms. Kara smiled. 

 

Todd yelled something at her, but she paid it no mind.

 

X

 

Back at the station, Kara stood in Fowler’s office.

 

“The flu you say?”

 

“Yes, a terrible case of influenza. I found him bedridden in his home.” Kara explained, face of neutral composure. 

 

“And did you ask him why the hell he didn’t bother calling in?” He spoke angrily from behind his computer screen. 

 

Kara’s voice turned to that of sympathy. False sympathy, of course. “He was so weak, I doubt he’d have even been able to reach for his phone.” 

 

Fowler huffed, “Fine. I guess we’ll just have to find you a new partner until he recovers.” With effort, he stood from his chair and went to open his door. “Reed, get in here!” He hollered. 

 

The detective looked up from his terminal. He sighed, then dragged himself up and into the office. “What is it now, Fowler?” His eyes weren’t red anymore, but they were blank and unfocused. He shoved his hands in his pockets lazily, a far cry from his usual stance of arms defensively crossed. 

 

“Todd’s apparently come down with a nasty case of the flu. So until he recovers, you’ll be standing in as Kara’s partner.”

 

Gavin looked at her in a questioning way, but with no animosity. He didn’t appear to have the energy to hate her at that moment. Still, he protested. “And why me, huh? Aren’t I on theft?”

 

“Someone else will take your place until you can return. But right now you two have a case to investigate. I’ll send you the coordinates of the scene.” The Captain turned back to his computer, an obvious signal that the conversation was over.

 

Gavin sighed and left the office, Kara following close behind. She followed him all the way out into the parking lot, until they reached what she assumed was his motorcycle.

 

Instead of getting on, he just spoke, “He doesn’t have the flu, does he?”

 

Kara paused, taken aback. “I, well,”

 

“Hmph, I knew it,” He picked up his helmet. “That bastard’s been on that bad Red Ice shit for awhile now, it’s so obvious. I’m surprised he hasn’t been caught yet. Here,” He handed her the helmet. “Can’t damage department property, can I?”

 

Kara slowly put on the headgear. She got onto the motorcycle behind Gavin, and the two set off from the parking lot. The case was of a missing android in the urban agriculture district. It was supposedly a WB200 model that passersby had seen in an abandoned apartment building. He apparently hadn’t posed a threat to the general population, but with all the cases of deviants, the people were wary. 

 

Gavin said nothing as they neared the building. He parked his motorcycle on the side of the road and the pair got off. “The scene’s on the top floor.” Kara entered through the door, Gavin following close behind. They boarded the rickety old elevator and rose to the top floor.

 

Everything about it thus far was very telling about the state of things. Metal everything, rusted and covered in about five layers of dust. All of the windows were cracked and a steady breeze drifted through the hallway. At the end they reached the room where the deviant was suspected to live. Gavin took out his gun “Just in case,” and told Kara to stand behind him. She allowed him to kick open the door and give the room a once over. Once he’d deemed the room safe, he gave her the go ahead to enter. 

 

The room was covered in dust, dirt, bird feces, any disgusting substance one could think of. Kara noticed the burrows of rats and birds that had made their home there. Some discarded wooden furniture was there, even a kitchen. On one of the walls was a poster for the Urban Farms of Detroit . Some content looking androids were pictured in their uniforms. 

 

One of the corners was lifted slightly. Kara peeled it back to reveal a hidden elclove. In it sat a journal of somesort. She opened, but the whole things was encrypted, and no encryption key in her system was able to crack it. She decided to stuck it in her jacket and bring it back to the station for further study. 

 

Moving to the bathroom, her eyes were drawn to the sink. A deceased rat sat there, along with a discarded LED. It laid unblinking on the porcelain. Looking over to the wall, she saw the same phrase that Carlos Ortiz’s android had scrawled. “rA9” But what did it mean?

 

Footsteps approached, “Nothing in here but fuckin’ dead rats and shit,” Gavin kicked some broken glass and stepped up next to Kara, “What’s this?”

 

“I don’t know. But he wrote it two thousand four hundred seventy one times.” Kara took a step closer to inspect the words. Some of the markings were still bright and glossy. They were fresh. He’d been there recently. There was a chair on the floor that had been tipped over as well. Strange . . .

 

Kara followed the metaphorical trail, ignoring Gavin’s annoyed questions. Another chair was tipped over in the middle of the main room, and then another directly under the trapdoor to what Kara inferred was an attic of somesort. She looked up at it, contemplating. All the signs so far showed the obvious conclusion that the deviant was still there. 

 

Gavin, having caught onto this, once again held up his gun. Kara leaned up and opened the door. 

 

Without warning, the deviant jumped down from the space and made a run for it. “Shit!” Gavin exclaimed.

 

Kara took off after the deviant. She tried to get a better scan of him but that was hard to do when running. All she could see was that he had dark skin, and wore lots of layers.

 

She chased him all the way out of the building and onto the roof. She had no problem following him, even after he began jumping between buildings and rushing through the rooftop farms. Some of the androids and workers yelled at them but she couldn’t focus on that, she had a job to do.

 

Eventually the chase came to an end as she came up on the deviant wrestling with Gavin.  _ When did he get there? _

 

The deviant pushed him off of the roof and rushed away, and Kara was faced with two choices.

 

_ Chase Deviant _

 

_ Help Gavin _

 

The deviant was what they’d come there for, right? If she got him, she’d accomplish her mission and they would be a step closer to solving the deviant problem.

 

But Gavin was just barely hanging onto the ledge. All of his smoking had affected his lungs, and after a chase like that and grappling with an android, he was beyond out of breath. He was weakened immensely, and who knows if he’d be able to pull himself up. So she made up her mind.

 

Kara skidded over to where Gavin hung and pulled him up to his feet. He put his hands on his knees and panted heavily. After a few coughs, he could at last speak, asking a simple, “Why’d you do that?”

 

It seemed to obvious, “You were about to fall, detective. We can always find the deviant at a later date.” She took a scan of his body. All of his vitals were slowly but surely returning to a more relaxed state.

 

“Well thanks, I guess.” Gavin sniffed and slowly walked to the door on the rooftop they were currently on. 

 

Kara suddenly called after him, “I’m sorry about your cat,” She tried out a small smile. “I know this mission wasn’t what you’d expected to be doing right now . .”

 

Gavin stopped and stared at her for a long moment. Again, no anger showed, just genuine shock. “I- How did you know about that?” He narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

 

“Officer Chen told me. It was a black Maine Coon right? I could tell by the hairs on your jacket.” Kara gestured to his outer layer for emphasis. 

 

He looked down at his jacket quizzically. He sighed, “Yeah, uh, his name was Felix.”

 

Kara smiled. After a small pause the two descended down the building and headed down the street. They made some small, talk, which Kara wasn’t expecting at all, but Gavin was surprisingly easy to converse with. Again they didn’t talk about much, just very mundane things, but it was something, at least. With her experience with Todd, she expected harsh words and violent outbursts, but this was completely calm. . . 

 

Gavin seemed gruff on the outside, but Kara supposed that the death of his cat had softened his exterior, if by only a little. Or perhaps it just heightened what already existed underneath. 

  
  



	13. Zlatko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus and the two Tracis arrive at Zlatko's house, expecting guidance to freedom, but instead receiving a harsh awakening.

It was nightfall when they reached the dark, desolate house. Hardly any light escaped its windows. Markus had a dreadful feeling about it, but said nothing as they walked up the steps.

 

Blue was the one to knock on the door. It was a long moment before the ebony door slowly creaked open. 

 

A gruff looking man peered out from the small crack. His eyebrows were narrowed, and his dark eyes scanned the three of them. “I’m not interested.” He attempted to dismiss them, but they weren’t going to take it. Not after all that they’d been through.

 

“No, please!” Blue stepped in the way of the door as the man was about to close it. “You’re Zlatko, right? We heard that you could help us,” she pleaded.

 

The man opened the door more and, upon seeing Blue’s spinning LED, allowed them inside. “Come in,” he said.

 

The three androids entered the dark home. It was a bit less frightening on the inside, but no less mysterious.  A large, towering android stepped towards them. He had dark skin, and his LED still spun in its place at his temple. 

 

Zlatko saw Blue and Red take a slight step back and jumped to reassure them. “Oh, don’t worry about my big friend Luther here. He just helps me around the house,” He gave Luther’s broad shoulder a pat. The tall android simply stared at the three newcomers, face void of any expression. His LED spun a calm blue. 

 

Markus and the two Traci’s followed him into the living room. They sat down on the couch opposite of Zlatko, Luther moving to stand by the doorway. Zlatko took a swig of whiskey from a small glass cup then began to speak. “So, what brings you three here?”He asked.

 

The androids shared glances. “We need a way out,” Red started. Zlatko raised an eyebrow curiously.  “We’re deviants and . . we’re on the run from the police. We just want a place to be safe and free.” 

 

Zlatko smiled. Though it appeared genuine, Markus couldn’t help but feel that something was incredibly off. “Well, you came to the right place. I hear that Canada is very beautiful this time of year.” The Tracis held their hands together and gazed hopefully into each other’s eyes. 

 

“But there is one thing,” Zlatko began, setting the glass cup on the coffee table in front of them. “We’ll have to remove your trackers.”

 

Markus narrowed his eyes in obvious confusion. “Trackers?” he inquired.

 

“Yes. Every android has a built in tracker so they aren’t misplaced. If you want to be free and evade capture, it’ll have to be removed. I have the equipment downstairs.”

 

Now Markus was really suspicious. If they really did have trackers, why hadn’t they been tracked down yet? Or how had the Tracis lived in that desolate house for so long without being caught? It just didn’t make sense.

 

“Okay,” Blue stood up immediately. “We’ll do it,” Red followed her lead. Markus wanted to grab them by the arm and caution them, but he couldn’t cause a scene. There was a menacing air about Zlatko, not to mention his stoic android Luther, who stood by the doorway in standby mode. 

 

An almost devious smile spread across Zlatko’s face. “Good,” he stood up and led them to the stairs. Luther followed them as they were led to the basement.

 

It was dingy, dusty, and dirty. The stone was cracked in places. For such a nice large house, the dank basement appeared as if it were never kept up. The walls were perhaps the most noticeable of all. There were rooms, open doors that were boarded up. But through the slits Markus could see what looked like eyes peering back at him, and dim light. What on earth was in there?

 

“Well, here it is” they entered a room at the end of the hallway. Behind an old and wrinkled curtain was some high-tech equipment. Far too much equipment for simply removing a tracker, surely? He gestured to a small platform, “Step right up.” He said. 

 

Blue gave Red’s hand one last squeeze, then stepped up to the platform. “Okay, I’m warning you, this may feel a little bit uncomfortable,” Zlatko pressed a button on his board, and the mechanical arms of the machine began to move. One of them with two small prongs connected to the small compartment at the back of her neck, right at the nape. She clenched her eyes shut in mild pain, but made no noise. Then the other arms moved to restrain her arms back. Red looked on with saddened eyes, it can’t have been enjoyable to watch your loved one be hurt like this, but it was supposedly for a good reason.

 

Supposedly.

 

“You know what’s weird,” Zlatko chuckled and moved to stand in front of Blue. “As soon as an android becomes a deviant, their tracker completely turns off.”

 

Blue glared at him and gave a tug on the arms. “You bastard!” She spat.

 

“You tricked us!” Red attempted to step up, but Luther put his strong arms on her shoulders, holding her back.

 

Zlatko gave another sinister chuckle. “Ah, would you look at that? Androids in love . . . You know your hair colors are quite unique, I can’t wait to see how you’d look in one of my experiments.”

 

Blue tried again and again to break free, but the arms would not budge. A nearby monitor showed that her memory was in the process of being wiped. If they didn’t free her within the next minute, she would be wiped clean. A free slate for his no doubt sickening experiments. 

 

Markus knew it was unfair, but when ZLatko told him to stay back and not interfere when he attempted to step forward, he found himself unable to move. It dawned on him in a disturbing realization that he hadn’t deviated. His processors still forced him to bend to every will of a human, obey every order given to him. He remembered how easily he had just left Carl alone with Leo when all he did was simply tell him to go. It was an order, an order that he followed.

 

But this? This couldn’t stand. He knew it couldn’t It wasn’t fair, it was despicable in every sense of the word. Zlatko was an evil man that got off on toying with innocent androids, and now they were trapped in his lair. 

 

Red and Blue both continued to plead for him to rethink his decision and let them go, but he had his mind made up. The timer continued to tick down.

 

Markus lunged forward, but was pulled back harshly by Luther. 

 

A red wall rose between him and the rest of the world. Time appeared to stop. A string of bold text commanded him “ _ DON’T MOVE”  _

 

Without hesitation, he grabbed at the wall furiously. The crimson pixels dissipated, and in a single instant, he was back. His head was somehow clearer. He knew what he had to do. 

 

He have Luther a kick to the knees, not enough to sufficiently hurt him, but enough to distract. He then lunged towards Zlatko and pushed him into his control board. They grappled for awhile. Markus was a lot stronger than him. He was vaguely aware of the timer ticking down.

 

Red was having more trouble than him. She was hardly strong enough to face against Luther. But it was weird. Luther didn’t appear to be putting his hardest effort into it. In fact, he almost seemed to be losing on purpose, making loose swings with horrid aim. 

 

_ 00:00:06:57 seconds left until memory wipe _

 

Shit. Markus managed to knock out Zlatko on his own machinery, but not soon enough. The six seconds were gone in a flash, and Blue’s eyes went completely blank.

 

Red and Luther completely stopped fighting. Red gasped in utter horror as she went to hold Blue’s face in her hands. “Traci . . .”

 

The mechanical arms let Blue go. She stared at Red with mild confusion. Tears travelled down Red’s face in streams as she fully realized that her love had no idea who she was anymore.

 

“Who are you?” Blue asked blatantly. Markus’ heart shattered at the phrase. 

 

Red’s voice cracked in new sobs. She pulled her lover into her arms and held her tight. Blue just blinked at her. 

 

Suddenly Luther was standing next to them. “You need to leave. Right now.” He spoke grimly. His voice was fittingly deep for his build. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” He added.

 

Markus nodded to him. Red grabbed Blue by the hand and led her as they walked back up the stairs. Luther followed them out of the house. “There’s a car right over there, you guys can take it to Rose  Chapman’s home. She helps deviants cross the border over into Canada.”

 

“How do we know this isn’t just another trap?” Red sniffed.

 

Luther’s eyes softened. “I promise it’s not. Zlatko was an evil man, and I was just his servant. But you three have shown me true compassion.” He smiled. 

 

“Come with us.” I spoke up. 

 

He sighed. “I appreciate the offer, but I believe that my duty is here. Zlatko has tortured and deformed the androids he holds captive. I need to help them.”

 

Markus smiled back at him. “You’re very noble.” He said.

 

The three parted ways with Luther and made their way to the automated car that he had mentioned. Blue went along with them, but did not seem to understand the situation, nor why Red embraced her so warmly. Markus could’ve sworn he saw her LED spin a pattern of strained yellow and red. But she said nothing to either of them.

 

Markus plugged in the directions that Luther had given him, and the car roared to life and pulled out of the driveway. His mind swirled with mixed emotions, all foreign to him, as they left the desolate house behind.

 

Freedom was waiting, or so they hoped.

  
  



	14. Spare Parts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor, Daniel, North, and Rupert go on their mission to the CyberLife warehouse to gather supplies for the weak back at Jericho.

They arrived at the facility in black darkness. As they neared it, the bright, almost oppressive lighting of the warehouse lit up their surroundings. It hadn’t taken them that long to arrive. Daniel, for the most part, led the way. He seemed to know where he was going without looking up the directions, which interested Connor. It was almost as if he knew where he was going already, like he’d been there before. 

 

The four of them crouched behind a large steel crate and took in the area before them. A black drone scanned the warehouse from above, following its preset route. If this plan were to work, they would need to get rid of it. “It’s going to spot us. Then it’s all over,” Rupert murmured, clenching the sides of the crate.

 

“I’ll get it,” Both Connor and Daniel spoke at the same time, standing from behind the crate. They turned to each other. Daniel had a slight glare, eyes narrowed. North and Rupert watched them silently, afraid to interrupt their heated eye contact.

 

“There’s no need, Connor. I’ve got it.” Daniel spoke slowly, forcing his voice to stay level and not raise. He attempted to walk past him, but Connor blocked his way.

 

“No, I’ll do it. It’s the least I can do, this was my idea after all.” Daniel scoffed as Connor left the safety of the crate behind and devised his plan to take the drone down. 

 

Multiple pre constructions played in his mind, but only one seemed to end in success. He did every step correctly. Jumping, landing on the drone, and taking it to the ground with him. There he stepped on it so that the now exposed wires fizzled out. The lights on it all faded away. It was broken.

 

The rest of the team jumped down to join him, North giving him a pat on the back, Rupert a curt nod. Daniel paused for a moment next to him. “Good job.” He said after a moment, then promptly walked towards one of the crates. Connor counted that as a win.

 

He joined the others in rummaging through the crates near the bus loading building. They were filled with what Connor could only describe as treasure. “Jackpot . . .” He murmured to himself as he filled his ragged backpack with as many biocomponents as he could possibly fit. Distantly he could here the rest of them doing the same. Daniel and North were speaking in hushed tones to each other. Rupert was very quiet as he worked, which Connor suspected was his default personality. Quiet. Though Connor was curious to learn more about him. And Daniel.

 

Speaking of Daniel, as Connor moved to a new  crate, he caught a glimpse of both Daniel and North sneaking a glance his way, then quickly turning away. Odd, but not worthy of his attention in that moment. If they wanted to speculate about him, and his being the newest member of Jericho, he’d let them. Connor had more important things to do, namely gathering packets upon packets of Thirium for the broken androids back at the rusted ship. His bag was beginning to fill up almost to the brim, but before he could reach for any more precious supplies, he was interrupted by an almost nervous looking android. 

 

The GJ500 stood before the four of them. “You’re trespassing on CyberLife property,” He warned. “I’ll have to call you guys in.”

 

Looking over, Daniel was clenching his fists around an unactivated Thirium pump. His LED was a solid red. He was panicking, eyes blown wide.

 

The GJ500 seemed to recognize him. “It’s you . . . you’re that PL600 that came year two years ago . . .” He scanned the rest of the group. “But I’ve never seen you guys before. Where’s the other one you were with?”

 

Daniel had to force his mouth to shut. Slowly, he spoke. “He died. Thanks to you.” North stepped forward to grab him by the arm. Either in comfort or warning, Connor didn’t know. 

 

And there wouldn’t be time to figure it out. “John!” Someone called, seemingly for the android. Swiftly, Connor rushed forward and grabbed John by the hand, pulling him behind a crate. Rupert did the same, while Daniel had to be pulled by North.

 

A human man stepped out, dressed up in similar clothing as John, though with the stark absence of the blue triangle and arm band. “God, where is that thing . .” The man mumbled to himself, surveying the gathering of crates.

 

Connor initiated an interface with John.  _ Please help us  _ he begged. John’s own LED spun yellow in contemplation. The GJ500 nodded slowly to Connor, who let him go.

 

“Ah, there you are. What are you doing all the way over here?” The human asked, stepping closer. If he’d just looked slightly to the left, he would’ve spotted where Daniel and North were hiding. Connor’s Thirium pump beat faster and faster at the thought of them being caught. But, in a strange way, he knew that he could trust  John. 

 

“Sorry. I was just checking to make sure everything was in order here.” John apologized, forcing a calm and steady voice, though his LED spun a questionable yellow.

 

The human worker ignored this and sighed. “All right. Just alert one of us if you go running off again.” After John nodded obediently, the human gave a huff and walked away from the scene.

 

Once they were sure that he was gone, the four other androids stepped out from the shadows of the crates and began their scavenging once more. Daniel and North continued their previous conversation, while Rupert continued his silent mission.

 

Connor was about to go through a selection of spare optical units when John spoke to him.

 

“Please, let me join you,” He begged, eyes pleading. Connor turned to him fully as he continued to speak. “When you interfaced with me . . . I felt something. Something I know I wasn’t made to feel but I did anyway. I  _ felt. _ ” John sounded almost breathless with the admission, though androids did not need breath. It was a reaction to an emotion, an emotion that Connor allowed him to feel.

 

Looking around at the company, Connor was searching for any sort of indication from them. Rupert kept his face blank, seemingly uncaring about whatever outcome may arise. North narrowed her eyes, not in anger or resentment, but in contemplation. Daniel wasn’t even looking at them, and instead a larger crate standing on the platform labelled ‘AP700’.

 

“Okay,” Connor nodded, mostly to himself to affirm his decision. “I trust you, John.”

 

John, a warehouse security officer who only gained the ability to feel emotions mere minutes ago, smiled at him. A small, yet no less earnest smile. “Thank you.” He spoke barely above a whisper.

 

And Connor smiled back.

 

“I want to help you. There’s keys to the trucks inside the warehouse and they’re full of supplies.” John supplied.

 

“Where are the keys?” Connor asked, already thinking ahead and preconstructing plans. 

 

John pointed behind him to a guard building. “In there. There are two security guards in there but they shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” 

 

Connor nodded to John. “Thank you John,” He turned to confirm his plans with the rest of the androids. “I’m going to go get that key. You guys wait here and continue gathering as much as you can. If I don’t come back in ten minutes . . . go back to Jericho without me.”

 

Daniel snapped his head around to look at him after he said that, face betraying thoughts and feelings Connor couldn’t understand. Something hidden deep inside threatening to resurface. Daniel just stared at him, and Connor stared back, trying to decipher something he didn’t have the code to. 

 

“Don’t talk like that, Connor. You’ll come back. And we’ll all be back at Jericho together come midnight.”And there was North to break the moment of silence. She had her arms crossed, and a pointed look on her face that told Connor not to argue with her. Rupert appeared to agree with her, albeit more silently. 

“I’m just . . . preparing you for the worst case scenario.” Connor spared Daniel one last look, then finally turned away from the group and sneakily made his way towards the guard building. He hid under one of the windows, peeking up every few seconds to check on the guards. They seemed to be distracted with something else entirely, something not security related. 

 

Connor craned his neck at a different angle and spotted the key, sitting in its holder on the control board. It was a little too close to the guards for comfort though, so he needed to think of his plan. Closer to the window was an alarm of some sort. If he could sneak in and pull it, then maybe . . .

 

Making up his mind, Connor snuck around the building to find a more suitable window to jump through, preferably one more hidden from the sight of the guards. He lifted the glass up with his fingers then leapt through the opening, landing with a muffled thud. He managed to land in a strategic squat, unlike that time he and Cole had a hurdle jumping contest with a broomstick and he ended up falling onto the grass. He remembered how Cole had laughed at him. No, with him. Hank watched from the sidelines, a happy glint in his eye.

 

But now was not the time to be thinking about that. He had a job to do, androids to save. He couldn’t afford to sit and sulk about his life. 

 

And so he didn’t. He crept through the small hallway and found an opening to look at the guards. They were still distracted by watching a basketball game on a tablet, but in order to get the keys without being detected, the guards needed to leave the room. Connor continued down the way and found the alarm. He pulled it then quickly snuck out of sight.

 

The guards, scared half to death by the blaring alarm, swiftly left the building, leaving Connor an opening. While the alarm continued to go off, he rushed forward to the control board and grabbed the key, shoving it into his jacket pocket. The jump back out of the window was just as successful, and he ran across the way to reconnect with his comrades. 

 

He pulled out the key with a triumphant smile. North cheered, Rupert nodded his approval and Daniel . . .

 

Daniel was standing in front of that large crate. It was opened and three AP700s were housed within, faces neutral and unmoving. They hadn’t been activated yet. Connor stepped closer to the platform, studying Daniel’s face. The blond had his arm raised, as if to reach out and touch them, but ended up dropping it to his side once more. 

 

“Daniel?”

 

Daniel didn’t turn around at first, and Connor questioned whether or not he had even heard him. But he did. “I just,” Daniel sighed. “They could be free . . . like us.” He wondered out loud.

 

Connor climbed up to the platform to stand by him. “We could wake them up.” He offered.

 

Daniel turned to look at him like he’d just suggested killing the President herself. He watched as Connor stretched out his arm and put his hand on the first AP700’s shoulder. He opened an internal communication line.  _ Wake up. _

 

All at once, the three androids blinked open their eyes, LED’s lighting up. They did not speak, instead stepping out of the crate and studying their surroundings. This moment of wonder for them did not last long, though.

 

“The guards are coming back. We have to get going now if we don’t want to be caught.” John was already opening the garage doors. Connor nodded and the rest of the group climbed into the first supply truck they saw. Connor ended up in the drivers seat, and North in the passenger. He put the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life. He hacked the gate to open, and then they were off, leaving the CyberLife warehouse behind them.

 

The truck was automated, so Connor allowed himself to look back at the others. Rupert was counting the amount of supplies with John. Well, more like Rupert was counting and John was watching him in awe. 

 

Daniel sat alone, watching the three AP700s in the back. He looked . . . sad. Somber, almost wistful. He was missing something, something he would never get back.

 

Spotting Connor’s line of sight, North spoke. “He’s been through a lot.” She said in a quiet tone.

 

Connor finally tore his eyes away from the scene and instead focused back on the road. “Haven’t we all?”

  
  



	15. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Gavin save Alice.

The Captain was not thrilled that Gavin and Kara came back to the station empty handed. The pair stood in his office as he chewed Gavin out. Gavin, now filled with his usual bite, yelled back at the Captain. Surprisingly, in Kara’s favor.

 

“The damn deviant was quick okay? Like some sorta super sonic android speed or some shit.” Gavin’s defensive posture returned as well. 

 

“Well did you at least get a profile? Any sort of description?” Fowler looked tired, fingers digging in and massaging his temple. A clear sign of stress that Kara didn’t need to analyze to notice. 

 

“Yeah of course he- I mean it uh-”

 

“He was dark skinned, and dressed in casual clothing with a hat on his head. His face is harder to describe, as I couldn’t get a good look at him, but he is, with no doubt, a WB200 model. His LED was removed from his head.” Kara said, hands folded neatly behind her back. She was satisfied with her response, and Gavin looked no less than relieved. 

 

The Captain sighed and rested his hands back onto his desk. “All right. Finish those files and I’ll send you the details of the next case.” He turned to his terminal, a clear indication that the discussion was over.

 

Gavin let out his own sigh and opened the glass door, even holding it open for Kara. He was about to say something to her when his eye caught on something. 

 

Hank Anderson was back at work at his desk. He looked exhausted, under eye bags much darker than Kara saw on his ID photo. 

 

“Holy shit . . .” Gavin all but whispered, arms still crossed. “I thought he’d still be out for awhile . . .”

 

Hank looked up from his terminal and caught Gavin’s eye. The older man held up his middle finger then, satisfied with Gavin’s indignant scoff, went back to his work. 

 

Gavin huffed and went to his desk, Kara following him. “May I ask you a question, Detective?” Kara asked tentatively, standing behind Gavin as he sat down.

 

“Uh . . . yeah sure?” Gavin looked back with one eyebrow raised.

 

“You and Hank Anderson, are you two friends?”

 

Gavin let out a laugh, capturing the attention of the people near them. Perhaps Kara had the wrong idea. After Gavin had calmed down, he spoke. “Anderson and I? Yeah no, we’re not friends. He gets on my nerves so fuckin’ much.” He turned his terminal on.

 

“Oh.” Kara spoke simply. With no response from Gavin, she sat down on the opposite side of his desk and stared at him through the terminal.

 

There was much she still needed to know about human interaction. And Gavin Reed.

 

X

 

The night came and Kara, filled with something she did not know, felt compelled to stop by the William’s residence and check up on Alice and Todd. She told herself that it was an obligation by her program to make sure that an environment was safe. And last she left the two, it was not safe. So she rode an automatic taxi to their address and crossed the small path leading up to the door.

 

Out of reflex, she quickly tidied up her hair and tie. Once satisfied, she knocked on the door. 

 

Todd swung the door open violently. “The fuck are you doing here?” he yelled. His eyes were bloodshot. He, even after earlier, had once again injected himself with Red Ice.

 

“I just wanted to check up on you and Alice after this morning, to make sure that you were both okay,” Kara looked him up and down. “And I’m glad I did.”

 

“The fuck did you say, bitch?” Todd reached forward and wrapped both of his hands around her neck. He squeezed. Hard.

 

Kara attempted to gasp out a response, but all she could do was try to pry his hands off of her desperately. Todd pulled her from the doorway and slammed her onto the stairs. Kara could just barely hear the crack of her head on the wood railing over the blaring red warnings in her vision. 

 

_ Cooling system obstructed _

 

_ Please remove external stimuli _

 

“I don’t need your help.” Todd knelt down and slammed her head again against the stairs. 

 

_ Damage to chassis _

 

_ Please return to the nearest CyberLife center for repairs _

 

Kara reeled her hand back, fully intending on somehow pushing Todd off of her, but Todd was faster. He grabbed her arm and twisted it at a horrible angle until a loud ‘ _ clink’  _ could be heard. Kara couldn’t help the static cry that left her mouth. 

 

While Todd repeatedly slammed his fists onto Kara, small footfalls came down the stairs. Alice.

 

Of course she was there. 

 

Kara knew then what she had to do. She searched through her internal database and found Gavin’s number. She opened up a communication line with him through the system. 

 

“What- who is this?” Gavin’s voice muttered.

 

“It’s Kara. Please come quick, I’m at Lieutenant William’s home.” Kara managed to say.

 

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, TIN CAN!” Todd gave Kara another slap across the face.

 

“Daddy, don’t!” Alice’s small voice called from above Kara on the stairs.

 

“Holy shit. I’ll be there right away.” Gavin responded immediately to Alice’s cries and hung up.

 

Kara sighed in relief, relief that was short lived. Because she still had to hold Todd off until he came. Kara pushed against him enough to climb the few steps to reach Alice. “Alice, go back to your room and lock the door.” She put her arms on the little girl’s shoulder and steered her towards the higher floor.

 

Alice only looked back once before rushing across the hall to her room. Kara turned back to face Todd, arms raised this time to fend him off. Not just for herself, but for Alice too. 

 

But the startling realization that her arm was loose in its socket came too late. As Kara was swinging her hand to slap him, Todd simply grabbed it and pulled it out.

 

_ Please return right arm to its socket _

 

Kara pushed that notification to the side, she had much more important things to worry about. “Todd, this anger is just a side effect from the Red Ice, you need to calm down!” She was in a losing battle with just one arm left. The right having been roughly discarded on the ground.

 

Todd clenched his ears as if he’d just heard gunshots in his head. He was no doubt experiencing auditory hallucinations, one of the more rare side effects of Red Ice. This could make sufferers even more irritable and dangerous than they usually would be. Even trying to reason with him wouldn’t work at this point, he was too far gone. All Kara could do was be as quiet as possible and allow the episode to pass. It would pass, right?

 

While Todd was busy rambling nonsense to himself, Kara took the chance to climb the stairs. It took longer than she’d’ve  liked, but she had to be silent. She rushed down the hallway to where she assumed Alice’s room was. The little girl was curled in on herself in the corner of the room, underneath some sort of do-it-yourself canopy. 

 

“Alice,” Kara rushed forward and knelt before the little girl. “Alice, are you okay?”

 

Alice said nothing, just stared at the limp jacket arm in horror.

 

Kara cupped her cheek gently with her left arm. “I’m okay Alice, and you will be too. Help is on the way.” She brushed away a tear with her thumb. 

 

And speaking of, soon sirens could be heard coming closer to the home. Gavin had brought backup.

 

A minute later there was a loud bang. “DPD open up!” That was Gavin’s voice. A few more scufflings sounds from inside the house, then the front door was busted open. Kara allowed Alice to huddle into her, wrapping her arm around her tiny frame.

 

There was yelling, more scuffling, then the sound of more people entering the home. There was the backup. Many voices mixed together. Kara hugged Alice even closer, as if the closer she was to her chest, the less she could hear, and the less scared she would be. It didn’t even matter anymore that she was an android. It didn’t matter that perhaps these emotions were simulated. Because Kara . . . cared. But maybe that was just her programming talking as well. She was made to reason, negotiate, and comfort after all. Maybe this was nothing more than how she felt saving Emma from Simon that August night on that rooftop. 

 

Footsteps came from down the hall. Gavin Reed peeked his head in the doorway, gun still in hand. He quickly put it away as soon as he saw Alice. “Kara . . . what happened to your arm?” He tentatively walked forward, as if worried he might scare Alice.

 

“It’s at the bottom of the stairs.” Kara replied simply. 

 

Gavin swallowed nervously. “Right,” He got down on his knees in front of Alice and put on his kindest face, which ended up looking a bit pained. “My name is Gavin. What’s yours?” He tilted his head.

 

When Alice didn’t respond, Kara answered for her. “Her name is Alice she’s . . . she’s Todd’s daughter.” The words felt like a virus in her voice modulator. If Kara knew one thing, it was that Alice was in no way Todd’s daughter. She deserved much better, android or not. 

 

Gavin nodded. “Well, Alice, we’re going to take you to a very nice place now, with some very nice people.” Again, the pained smile. 

 

“Where?” Alice finally spoke up, voice small as ever.

 

“I- well, um . . .” Gavin looked to Kara for a long moment. 

 

Kara smoothed down some of Alice’s dark locks with her hand. “You’ll be staying with Gavin.”

 

Gavin nearly choked on air. Kara mentally reminded herself to apologize to him later. But she knew that it would be good for Alice to stay with someone she’s at least met before, and the container that Kara stayed in at CyberLife would not fit two. 

 

Before Gavin could even respond, more officers appeared in the doorway. Kara recognized officer Miller immediately. “The Lieutenant has been handcuffed and will be detained back at the precinct,” he spotted Alice. “This his kid?” he asked, gesturing to Alice.

 

“Yes, this is Alice.” Kara responded. Alice stared up at the officers wordlessly. 

 

Chris came forward to kneel by Gavin. “Hello Alice, my name is Chris. We need you to come back to the station with us, can you do that?” He smiled, much less forced than Gavin’s, but Kara could tell that he was hurting. Something here struck a chord with him. 

 

“Chris I actually . . .” Gavin put a hand on his comrades shoulder and leaned in close. “I . . . I think maybe I could take her home.” 

 

The officer blinked a few times at Gavin. “Pardon?” Chris leaned in closer. 

 

“Well I uh- I promised her.” Gavin’s eyes flicked over to Kara and Alice, then back to Chris. 

 

Chris chuckled. “I didn’t think you liked kids.”

 

“I didn’t.” Chris raised an eyebrow at that. “But . . . well it’s hard to explain. I just feel like I should, alright?” Gavin stood up, Chris following him.

 

“Well there’ll be a lot of paperwork to do. And I don’t think the Captain will like you taking her home on that motorcycle of yours.” Chris reasoned.

 

“I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes.” 

 

Chris raised his arms in a placating manner. “Okay okay, you do you, Gavin. I’m gonna go downstairs and make a call to Fowler.” Chris smiled at Alice and Kara one more time then left the room, the rest of the officers filing out with him. 

 

“Thank you, Gavin.” Kara shakily stood up. She was unbalanced without the weight of her other arm. 

 

“It’s no problem Kara,” Gavin put his hands on his knees and leaned in closer to talk directly to Alice. “Are you okay with coming with me, Alice?” This was perhaps the most tender Kara had ever seen the detective, a complete detachment from his usual facade. 

 

Alice hesitated before nodding. Gavin smiled and held out a hand. To Kara’s surprise, she took it.

 

Gavin led Alice by the hand downstairs, explaining everything that was going on in such a gentle tone that Kara was at first confused if it was even the detective talking. She followed the pair down the steps, pausing to pick up and reattach her right arm to its socket. The red warnings in her HUD finally subsided. At least for now. 

 

Gavin and Alice were now sitting on the sofa, surrounded once again by Chris and the other officers. Kara smiled at the sight. There was no logical reason for it, she wasn’t smiling to comfort anyone in front of her, there was no trust to be gained from a suspect. She simply smiled because . . .

 

Because she wanted to. Because she was happy. 

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

  
  
  


 

 

 


	16. Pirate's Cove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus and the Tracis are stranded in Pirate's Cove.

The ride from Zlatko’s lair was solemn. While Markus sat in the front of the automated car, Red and Blue sat in the back. He could hear Red desperately trying to job Blue’s memory, to no avail. Everything that Red would say was only met with confusion on Blue’s end. Red eventually gave up on her efforts and simply watched outside the window silently. Heart breaking was an understatement. 

Now without any external stimulation, Markus’ thoughts raced in his processors. He thought about everything that had happened in the over 24 hours since leaving the Manfred house. Now that he had free time, the memories played out in his head in high definition, every detail visible. In the recesses of his mind sat Carl’s number. He could . . . he could call him. Tell him that he was okay, that he’d made some friends. Surely he would be happy to hear from him right?

He mulled over the thought in his mind for about ten minutes before finally deciding to call. The tone rang for a couple moments before it was answered.

“Hello?” Carl’s voice.

“Hello Carl.” Markus’ voice was meeker than he’d’ve liked. 

“. . . Markus?”

“It’s me.”

“Oh my god,” Carl let out the biggest sigh of relief he’d ever heard. “Oh my god I’ve been so worried this whole time. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m quite alright. But what about you? . . . What about Leo?” The last part was added almost as an afterthought. 

A pause. “Leo’s in rehab,” Another sigh, “It was the best option at this point. He went willingly. I’m just hoping that it sticks this time. He’s been in and out so many times I’m surprised he doesn’t have a punch card for the place.” A hollow chuckle.

“I’m sure it will. You did the right thing.”

Another moment of silence passed between them. Markus watched the road vanich beneath the hood of the automated car. It appeared that both of the Tracis had entered stasis mode. 

“Will you ever come home?” Carl’s quiet, unsure, voice broke through the void. 

Markus truthfully had put some thought into this. He knew deep down that he wanted to go back to Carl, to continue living with him in his home, taking care of him, painting with him . . . but he also knew that he couldn’t just leave the Tracis alone. Blue was having serious trouble recovering her memory, and Red was obviously distraught. Markus knew he wouldn’t forgive himself if he just left them like this, with Red having only the company with her lover that was merely a shell of her former self. That would just be selfish. Markus liked to think that they were friends. They’d bonded on the train ride to Zlatkos and he’d deviated to save them. What sort of friend would go through all of that with them, only to kick them to the curb when they needed him most. 

“Maybe, Carl, I’m just trying to figure things out right now,” Markus looked back to make sure he had no other ears listening in on him. “I would love to but, but I’ve made these friends and I don’t want to just leave them until I know that they’re safe.”

“My, you’ve become a hero since I last so you, eh?”

“I don’t know if I’d say that. . .”

Carl let out an exhale that sounded close to a chuckle of some sort. “Well no matter, just come home when you’re ready.”

“Thank you dad.”

Markus could almost hear the smile from the other end. “Stay safe, Markus.” And with that, the call ended, and Markus was once again left in silence with his thoughts. 

This silence wouldn’t last very long, however, as a few minutes later, the car suddenly slowed to a stop without any prompt from Markus. They still had many miles to go, so why did it stop now?

Both Red and Blue slipped out of their stasis. “What’s going on, why are we stopped?” Blue asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe something’s wrong with the engine. I’ll go out and have a look.” Markus left the car, Red following closely behind. “You don’t need to help, you know.” Markus said.

Red crossed her arms. “I know. I just . . . needed to be out in the fresh air.”

“Android don’t need to breathe.”Markus pointed out.

The Traci was silent for a moment. “I just mean, I needed a break from . . . you know,” Red shrugged, still not quite meeting Markus’ eye. “It’s just so hard sitting next to her when she doesn’t even know who I am.” She spoke as if at any moment her voice modulator might give out. 

Markus opened the hood of the car and waved away some of the smoke that billowed from it. “You are very strong, Traci, and so is she. I’m sure that she will remember you in time. I’ve only known you two for a day and I can already tell that your bond is too strong to be simply wiped away.” Markus spoke as he inspected the engine.

“Thank you.” Red all but whispered, standing closer to Markus to look at the engine herself. 

The two stared at the engine and the parts of the hood. Markus came to the conclusion that the car had simply been overworked, and needed time to cool off. The pair of androids returned to the shelter of the car and spoke to Blue. 

“I think we should stay in here until it recharges.” Blue offered.

“Well maybe we should look ahead and see if there’s anyone willing to help us? Maybe there’s shelter nearby.” Markus responded.

“I agree with you Markus,” Red spoke. “We should leave the car here to recharge and go find somewhere else to spend the night.”

The three left the car and trudged through the snow until they found an abandoned theme park. The broken down, washed out wooden sign said ‘Pirate’s Cove’. They wordlessly entered the property, looking around at all of the attractions long forgotten by society. It was sad, in a way. 

“There, I think I see somewhere we can spend the night.” Markus led the Tracis to the tavern. The doors were boarded up, but Markus had no trouble removing them and tossing them to the side. Markus instantly went to light a fire in the fireplace by the wall. The Tracis sat in the window sill, conversing quietly. Markus couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, but it appeared that it was mainly Red talking.

Markus spent this quiet time reflecting on the past couple of days, hands raised to the fire, as if he could even feel it. He could feel it, in a way. His sensors told him that there was heat being applied to his palms, but in terms of really feeling anything, there was nothing. Eventually his sensors peaked and he had to remove his hands from the heat. He moved over to sit a little farther away, eyes still focused on the flickering of the flames. It was calming, watching the streaks of color dance without a care in the world. Markus wishes he could be just like the flame, ever shining. 

He tried not to invade their privacy, but their voices became slightly louder with time. 

“I’m sorry. I know you keep saying that we know each other but I just . . . I can’t remember. Sometimes . . . sometimes there’s little flashes of memories. But I can’t make them out. They fizzle away in code before I can properly reach out to them.” That must have been Blue. She sounded so tragically confused. Sad without even knowing the reason why. But it was there, deep within. 

“You don’t remember any of it? Our work, our escape . . all of our lives, just gone?” Red sighed. 

The sound of shuffling. “I’m sorry. I know I was important to you.” Then silence.

“You saved me,” Markus could hardly make out those words. “I was about to be hauled away for deactivation but you saved me.” More silence.

“I-I knew it was dangerous.”

“What?” Markus looked back now to see Red clenching Blue’s hands desperately, staring wide eyed at the sudden recall. Blue was staring at the ground, LED spinning a frantic mix of yellow and red. 

“But when that man was pulling you away from me, I knew it wasn’t fair. I knew I didn’t want you to leave me, even if I didn’t know what wanting was yet.” Blue finally pulled her eyes from the ground to stare her lover in the face for what must have felt like the first time. 

Clear liquid fell from both of their tear ducts and fell onto their cheeks. “Oh my love . . .” Red leaned forward and embraced Blue, holding on to her so tightly. 

Markus turned back around to give them some privacy. But secretly he was smiling. He was glad that Blue’s memories had returned, and the couple could begin life anew. He was happy for them. Markus also felt a sense of melancholy. His phone call from earlier to Carl, promising to come home . . . but he also wanted to stay with the Tracis, to get to know them better and become close. But would he be able to have both? 

A bang from the door called Markus to attention. It didn’t take long for the disturbance to reveal themselves. Climbing through the door and windows were tens of EM400s, all in different states of neglect and disrepair. The Tracis got up from the sill and joined Markus in the center of the room. 

“Fellow androids?” One of the EM400s asked, stepping forward from the majority of the models. “We never thought we’d see the day . . .”

Markus stepped forward even more. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We used to work here when it was still open. We loved to make all the children happy.” The EM400s all got wistful smiles on their face.

“What is your name?” Red asked.

“Jerry.” A few of the EM400s responded at the same time, as if they shared a joint processor. 

“All of you are named Jerry?” Blue questioned.

“All of us.” On cue, all of them answered, their voices indistinguishable from one another. Markus wondered if there was a way they had of telling each other apart. 

“We were very worried when we heard you guys coming in. You see, humans usually come here to hurt us. We like to be careful,” The main Jerry gestured to the rest of them that they were free to relax more. Some of them entered into the building more, while some chose to leave. “What brings you here?”

“We escaped after being blamed for a plowing accident. Our owners wanted to deactivate us.” A few of the Jerrys walked forward to listen to Red’s words, which led to an impromptu story telling session with the Tracis.

“What about you,” The rest of the Jerrys looked to Markus. “What led you here?”

Markus thought for a moment. He sat down by the fire again, the Jerrys following suit. “I . . . I used to live with an old man named Carl. He was always very nice to me, always treating me like his son. His real son, though . . . he was not so kind.” He looked back into the flames, begging them to burn the memories from his hard drive. 

A cold hand on his shoulder. “You do not have to go into detail if you don’t want to.” The Jerry gave him an incredibly empathetic look. Such a human action, juxtaposed with their worn down exterior. 

“Thank you, Jerry.” Markus let out a low chuckle and continued watching the flame. The other Jerrys allowed the silence to cover them like a blanket, they too were content with studying the fire. Markus was glad that the EM400s were willing to allow him this quite time. It felt comforting knowing that they weren’t alone in the tavern anymore. Looking behind him, the Tracis were still conversing with the Jerrys. They were turning out to be good conversationalists, willing to put in their word, but also knowing when to hold back. He supposed that they were probably built that way to appear friendly to the children that visited the park. It worked in their favor, at least. 

Pretty soon Markus found his eyes closing. And unable to keep them open for much longer, he entered stasis mode, knowing that he was safe.


	17. Eden Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara accompanies Hank Anderson to a crime scene at the Eden Club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarification, the male sex androids are called Ralph and the females are Lucy.

The day after Todd’s arrest was full of uncertainties. Detective Gavin Reed had surprisingly less trouble obtaining custody of Alice. He had fully prepared for the mountains of paperwork, but once it came to light that Alice was indeed a YK500 android, suddenly there was very little to be done. The detective had taken the day off to get Alice settled in and allow her the time to digest the events of the previous night. He was making sure to keep Kara in the loop, which the RK800 appreciated.

 

Amanda had appeared in the Zen Garden that midnight to chastise Kara, telling her how  the detour was a waste of her time, and only served to distract her from her mission. It was the most upset Kara had ever seen her A.I, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

 

While Gavin Reed was on leave for a day, Kara was assigned to go with Hank Anderson on a mission to Eden Club to investigate a murder. She knocked on his door that night to accompany him. 

 

It was a minute before the door finally opened. Hank stood in the doorway, the smell of booze present in his breathe. “Hello Hank.” Kara smiled.

 

“Ah, it’s the android cop. Come in while I finish getting ready.” Hank grumbled and stepped aside to allow Kara in, closing the door behind her. He left the room to go down the hall.

 

A child sat at the dinner table.

 

_ Cole Anderson _

_ DOB: September 23rd, 2029 _

_ Son of Hank Anderson _

 

Cole watched Kara curiously. Kara was about to walk across the room when she felt a wetness on her leg. A Saint Bernard dog was sniffing at her legs, panting heavily. Kara smiled and bent down to pet the canine. 

 

“His name is Sumo,” Cole spoke, getting up from his chair and walking over to the dog. “He likes getting pet, especially behind the ears.” He reached out a hand and scratched behind his head to emphasize. 

 

“He’s a good dog.” Kara stated.

 

Cole hummed and nodded, getting down on his knees to give the dog a big hug. “He’s always been a good boy.”

 

Hank came back into the main room then, wearing a more protective winter coat. “I’ll be back in an hour or so Cole.” His son rushed up to hug him then.

 

“Come back soon, dad.” Cole begged, voice quiet.

 

Hank leaned down. “I will.” He gave his son a firm kiss on the top of his head then stood back up.

 

Hank and Kara got in his old car and pulled out of his driveway. They drove in silence for a few minutes, until Kara couldn’t stand it.

 

She had to take this chance. “I’m . . . I’m sorry about your android, Hank.”

 

Hank whipped his head around to face her while they were stopped at a red light. “Where the hell did you hear about that?”

 

“When I first started work with Todd williams,” Kara shuddered at the name. “I- we were given the complete list of all suspected deviant cases. Your RK200 was on it.”

 

Hank sighed and turned back to the road when the light turned green. “Yeah. He came to, uh, talk to me in a bar and some asshole drunks started beating him up,” Another huff. “Some officers showed up after reports of a disturbance and the blame was placed on him. He was shot and tossed into a junkyard.” His hands clenched the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles turned white.

 

Kara gave him time to cool off before asking her next question. “Do you, I mean, do you and Cole ever miss him?”

 

Hank spluttered for a moment. “I was not expecting that,” He chuckled incredulously. “But yeah, Cole does really miss him. Connor was there for him when I wasn’t. Which I still hate myself for.”

 

Kara raised an eyebrow. “Connor?”

 

“Yeah, uh, that’s the name Cole gave him. It was the name of one of his favorite T.V characters or something.” Hank had an almost faraway look in his eyes. 

 

Kara smiled and watched the snow fall outside the car windows. “That’s nice.”

 

In another twenty minutes they had reached their destination. The purple-pink lighting of the club cast its glow on the wet streets. The pair exited Hank’s car and entered the building. “‘The sexiest androids in town’ Jesus, is this what people think about these days?” Hank groaned. 

 

Kara paused to look at one of the male Ralph models. His pale skin on full display, he donned a head of neatly swept brown hair. At Hank’s call, she joined him in the main room of the facility. A few of the androids were still dancing on their poles, but otherwise the rest were in their holding cases, and no customers were present. The whole place was on lockdown.

 

Officer Ben Collins was talking with the manager of the club, ticking down notes on a tablet. He looked up as Hank and Kara approached. “Ah, Anderson. Glad to see you showed up.”

 

The two shook hands. “Wouldn’t miss a murder case for the world, Ben.” They chuckled.

 

“Well the body is in there if you want to have a look.” Ben nodded his head towards the blocked off room and Hank thanked him.

 

Upon entering they saw a human lying on the bed, part of his body covered in a blanket, and a female Lucy model on the ground by the right wall, Thirium dripping from her lips. Kara bent down to take a sample, and her model and serial number showed up. She ran a diagnostic. Two of her main biocomponents were critically damaged, most likely from rough play with the human. Standing up, she joined Hank in studying the corpse. Michael Graham. The bruising on his neck pointed to obvious strangulation. 

 

“So he was strangled to death,” Hank said. “But then how the hell did she die?” He pointed to the dead Lucy on the ground. 

 

“I don’t know . . .” Kara wondered aloud, walking back over to the broken android. If she could open up her stomach compartment, she might be able to be revived just long enough to get some information out of her. 

 

“The hell are you doing?” Hank asked as Kara opened her up and fiddled with her wires.

 

“I’m reviving her. It might only last a minute but it should be enough time to get at least something out of her.” When she connected the last wire, the Lucy roared to life and immediately pushed her away and huddled towards the corner. 

 

“Wh-who are you? What happened to me?” The Lucy’s eyes were blown wide and her chest heaved in simulated breathes. 

 

“It’s all right,” Kara put her hands out in a placating manner. “You were damaged but I managed to revive you. My partner and I need information on the murder of Michael Graham, can you help us?”

 

The Lucy’s eyes were still dazed and unfocused. “I-I don’t know. He just kept hitting and hitting me . . .”

 

“Was there anyone else in the room with you?” Kara asked, sure to keep her voice even and gentle. 

 

“He wanted to play with a guy and a girl . . . but I don’t know where he went.” She was losing time. Any second now she would deactivate.

 

“What did he look like?” But Kara’s question fell on deaf ears. The Lucy’s head lagged and her once red LED was now devoid of light. Her eyes stared blankly at the ground.

 

Kara sighed and stood up. “Well there goes that,” Hank huffed and put his hands in his coat pockets. “Well I’ll go talk with Ben and the manager and see what I can figure out.” They left the room behind, Kara sparing one look back at the dead Lucy before the door closed. 

 

She looked around the room for an idea. Would any of the androids be able to give a statement? Or maybe it would be easier if she could probe their memories. Either way, she needed an eye witness, anything that would tell her what the deviant looked like.

 

Kara grasped the forearm of one of the dancing androids and opened a connection. The feed from the androids optical units flooded her processor. Going back a while, she saw a blond haired Ralph model leaving the room where the murder took place. She pulled her hand away and looked around at where the feed left off, with the suspect heading back into the main room. 

 

_ Deviant is a Blond Haired Ralph _

 

Finally having a solid lead, she rushed across the room to find another android. Seeing her, Hank followed. “What the-”

 

“The androids, their memories are wiped every two hours. We only have a few minutes left for me to probe their memories and find where the deviant escaped to.” Kara turned to another dancing android.

 

“Do you really think it’s still here?” Hank questioned, looking around at all the models.

 

_ Deviant escaped to the red room _

 

“Well it couldn’t go outside the facility dressed in its uniform.” Kara reasoned, already leaving the main room to find another witness. With no more dancers to probe, she had to turn to the androids in their holding containers, but the machines wouldn’t be able to find a fingerprint.

 

Hank watched Kara struggle for a moment before stepping in. “All right all right, lemme try.” Hank let Kara move to the side before punching in his information. The automated voice informed him that a thirty minute session would cost twenty-nine ninety-nine. He gave Kara one last look, and when she gave a confirming nod, he pressed his hand onto the screen to confirm his purchase. 

 

The dark skinned Ralph model walked out and gave Hank a sultry look, before Kara gently grabbed his forearm. 

 

_ Deviant walked into the blue room _

 

Kara let go and sped to the room while Hank tried his best to politely turn the android down. In the room a janitorial android was mopping the floors. She tapped the android on the shoulder and examined his memory.

 

_ Deviant escaped out the staff only door _

 

“He escaped into the back, let’s go!” Hank joined Kara in the hallway into the back of the club. 

 

“Hey get behind me.” Kara nodded and Hank stepped in front of her with his gun raised. He counted down from three and kicked the door open. It was a cold, concrete warehouse like room. Some crude repair machines sat in the center of it, and clumps of unactivated androids lined the sides. The deviant was hiding somewhere in there.

 

She meandered around the room, studying the discarded androids and tried to find the blond haired Ralph. By the stairs there were trace amounts of Thirium, which matched the model. The trail was nearly all evaporated, but Kara could see it as clear as day. It didn’t take her long to follow the trail to a particularly large gathering of androids. 

 

Kara hadn’t even been looking for more than a couple of seconds before she was tackled to the ground by the deviant in question. He was surprisingly strong, able to tackle and throw Kara around like a ragdoll. His face was heavily scarred on his left side, chassis cracked and thirium clogging the wounds. She wrestled with him more, managing to deter him with obstacles, but the Ralph was determined. 

 

“Don’t fuckin move!” Hank yelled, but was promptly tackled by the Ralph. Kara tried her best to remove the deviant from Hank, but had little success. They both ended up falling off the edge into the fenced in loading zone. Hank’s gun was thrown somewhere in the midst of the fight.

 

The Ralph stood before them, eyes wide, almost crazed. “R-Ralph just wanted to be free. H-he didn’t mean to kill that man!” he exclaimed, watered down Thirium trickling down his face from his eyes. “But when he saw him hurt Lucy . . . Ralph knew what he had to do.”

 

Kara and Hank slowly came to a stand, and to their surprise the Ralph didn’t so much as flinch.

 

“So Ralph put his hands around the man’s throat and squeezed until he stopped moving,” His LED was spinning a fast red. “Ralph wanted to stop the bad man so he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore!” 

 

Hank looked between Kara and Ralph, looking conflicted. If he had an LED, Kara knew that his would be yellow. 

 

Ralph gave them one last frantic look and went to jump the fence. Neither Kara nor Hank went to stop him, and he easily escaped to the dark alley streets. 

 

Kara watched, even after he’d left her sight. She could no longer ignore the software instability warnings. 

 

“Maybe it’s better this way.” Hank looked at the alley one more time before climbing back up from the loading zone and heading back into the club.

 

X

 

On the drive from Eden Club, Kara was at a loss for words. The events from the night had troubled her to her core, she could almost hear Amanda’s reprimands, her cold and disapproving voice. 

 

“So, uh, where do you stay?” Hank’s uncertain voice pulled her from her thoughts. 

 

“In a holding container at CyberLife,” Kara took a deep breath. “But, if you don’t mind . . . I’d like to go see Gavin and Alice.” Looking to Hank, he seemed sympathetic.

 

“All right, I can take you there.” When they reached the detective’s apartment complex, Kara moved to exit the car.

 

“Thank you, Hank.” She smiled as she took hold of the door and went to close it.

 

“Wait-uh,” Hank stopped her. “Good work today, Kara. I couldn’t have done it without ya’. Seriously.” He gave a good natured chuckle.

 

“You did well too, Hank. I think we worked well as a team tonight.” One last smile and Kara closed the car door. She went to the door to the complex and pressed the buzzer. She had notified Gavin earlier that she would be arriving, so it didn’t take long for her to be allowed in. His apartment was on the second floor, number 208.

 

When she knocked, Gavin was right there at the door, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans. “Hey there,” He smirked, stepping aside and closing the door behind Kara. “Alice is back in my room resting if you want to go see her. I know she’ll be happy to see you.”

 

Kara said her thanks and quietly stepped towards the room in the short hallway. The room was dim, only lit by a single bedside lamp. Alice was neatly tucked in, facing the window on the opposite side of the room. She looked so peaceful, and Kara had no doubts that Gavin had been taking good care of her. Kara approached slowly and set a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Alice?” She whispered.

 

The little girl blinked open her eyes and rolled onto her back. “Kara?” She replied sleepily. 

 

Kara moved her hand to cradle Alice’s cheek. “I’m here, Alice. I came to see you.”

 

Alice moved to sit up. “You saved me, Kara,” She looked up at the android sadly. “You saved me when no one else would.”

 

“Oh Alice,” Kara pulled the little girl into a hug. Her processors notified her of a substance rolling down her face, something wet. Tears. “Of course I would save you, no one deserves to be treated like that.”

 

“Not even androids?” Alice asked, pulling away slightly.

 

Kara smoothed down some of Alice’s hair. And although her programming begged her not to, she answered truthfully. “Not even androids.”

 

_ Software Instability ^ _

 

_ Amanda V _

 

_ Amanda: Betrayed _

 

The two hugged for a moment more, a feeling bubbling in Kara that she hadn’t felt in quite this magnitude before. When they pulled away she felt strangely empty.

 

“Well you should be getting some rest, Alice. I’ll try to come back tomorrow.” Kara tucked Alice in and gave her one last gentle touch on her head before leaving the room, closing the door quietly closed behind her.

 

Gavin was on the couch in the living area, drinking a glass of water. An ashtray sat empty on the coffee table in front of him. Kara smiled.

 

“Was it hard?”

 

Gavin narrowed his eyes in confusion.

 

Kara pointed at the ashtray. “The cigarettes. Was it hard quitting?”

 

Gavin set down the glass with a sigh. “It was hard, yeah. But I knew I had to do it for Alice, so I went to the store and picked up some of these bad boys,” Gavin lifted up one of his shirt sleeves to point at a nicotine patch on his arm. “And they’ve been helping to ease the urge a little bit.”

 

Kara moved around the coffee table to sit down on the other side of the couch. “Well I’m glad that you’re making the effort.”

 

“I’m glad you stuck her with me. She’s probably the nicest kid I’ve ever seen. It was a little confusing at first, knowing the ins and outs of her model but,” Gavin spared a look back at the hallway. “She’s taught me a lot, I can already tell she’s going to make me a better person.”

 

Kara found herself relaxing back into the couch. “I just hope that Todd will get apt reprimanding. Technically Alice is considered property,” Gavin scoffed at that, leaning forward to pick up his glass once more. “So the sentencing might be limited to property damage. But . . . if they found out that he was on Red Ice . . .”

 

“Then it would be a whole different story,” Gavin caught on. “The sentence for Red Ice possession is harsh, thanks to the Task Force back in 2028. He could be facing a lot of time, with no chance of parole.” Gavin’s eyebrows knit together in thought.

 

“A Red Ice bust could easily bring him to justice.” Kara was already formulating a plan in her head. Hank was a prominent member of the Task Force back in the day, would he be on board with this? She made a reminder to herself to ask him at the station the next day. 

 

“I’m glad you decided to stop by, Kara,” Gavin took a long gulp of water before continuing. “You know, I used to hate androids. I hated them with every fiber of my being but . . . somehow my mind changed. I realized that my reasons for hating them were pathetic and biased and . . . well basically I realized that I was stupid.”

 

“I don’t think I would blame you, Gavin. Chloe Kamski, she’s your half sister, yes?”

 

Gavin stared at her, mouth gaping like a fish. “I- How do you know that?”

 

Kara took out the coin she’d almost forgotten was in the pocket of her jacket and turned it in her fingers. “I could see your family tree in my database. You share a father but have two different mothers.”

 

The detective swiped his hands down his face and sighed before responding. “Yeah she’s my sister, but dad always liked her best. She was always the smartest, the one with the brightest ideas. She came up with the original plan for androids in high school. While I was sneaking around the neighborhood and smoking, she was changing the world,” He gave a pathetic laugh, slouching in his seat. “So I guess part of the reason I hated androids so much was because I was jealous of her, plain and simple. It was childish yeah, but most hate is.”

 

Kara studied him. He didn’t seem mad or angry at the memories he brought up, just sad. Sad and regretful. He truly felt guilty for his past actions. That was a difficult thing to admit. “I don’t think it was childish, Gavin,” The man turned his head to look at her. “I think it was human.”

 

_ Software Instability  _ **_^_ **

  
  



	18. Stratford Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor, Daniel, and Rupert go to Stratford Tower to send a message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof watch out for this longer than normal chapter.

The androids in Jericho were thriving days after the team had arrived with the truck of supplies. The androids in the worst conditions were treated first, then everyone else was allowed their share of the haul. Rupert had let Joann poke at some Thirium from his cupped hands. But even after days there was still work to be done.

 

North was trying to help Lucy with the back of her head, but the latter wasn’t accepting the assistance. “There is no need, North. Others will surely need those extra supplies down the line, you shouldn’t waste them on me.” Lucy reasoned.

 

North sighed, supplies still in hand. “That’s nonsense, Lucy. There’s plenty of supplies to go around and it wouldn’t be wasteful to use some of them on you,” She stared Lucy in the eyes. “Please, let me heal you.”

 

Lucy finally submitted to North’s will, allowing her to fix the back of her head.

 

Connor watched from one of the pillars. He leaned against it, surveying the progress of all the androids of Jericho. His eyes continued to fall on Daniel, who stared longingly at the AP700s they’d rescued. There was something behind it, a story. Connor just needed to know what it was. He pushed off of the pillar and walked over to where the blond sat against an empty crate. 

 

Daniel gazed over at him. “It was a good idea you had there, Connor,” His eyes scanned the rest of the room. “Thanks to you, we saved many of our people.”

 

“You would’ve done the same thing.” Connor said, pulling one of his knees close to rest his arm on it. 

 

“No I wouldn’t have,” Daniel scoffed. “Don’t you remember, I wanted to shoot your idea down. If it were me, everyone would still be suffering.” Daniel’s gaze fell to his lap, where his hands clasped together.

 

“You were cautious, and maybe I was a little reckless. But we balanced out and everything worked, didn’t it?”Connor gave him a gentle nudge with his shoulder. 

 

Daniel let out a huff. Was that his attempt at a laugh? It was almost . . . endearing. “Thanks for trying to flatter me Connor, but I don’t deserve that.” Connor watched Daniel have an internal conflict with himself, LED spinning yellow. “I’ve made mistakes in my life, and I regret every moment of it.” Daniel closed his eyes and lifted his head to lean back against the crate. This close, the android looked extremely tired, which is a thing that androids should not be able to look like.

 

“We all have things we regret, Daniel. That’s just a part of being alive though, right?” Another nudge, and another huff. Connor considered it a win, even if it was a small one. 

 

“Yeah I guess you’re right,” Daniel opened his eyes and turned his head to face Connor. Suddenly he pulled away, as if catching himself in some terrible act. He went to sit up. “I-I’m sorry. I should go.” He stood up quickly before Connor could stop in and left the main room.

 

All Connor could do was watch him go and wonder what he did wrong. North spared him a knowing glance, but was quick to go back to work on adjusting the wires in Lucy’s head. Rupert wasn’t paying attention to hardly anyone. In his world, it was just him and Joann. It was so pure, far too pure for the likes of this world. 

 

Connor thought of what Hank and Cole might be doing at this very moment. Would Hank have been able to make a proper breakfast, or get Cole ready for school in time? What about Sumo? He had vaccinations due, had they remembered? Connor wanted to call. No, he  _ needed  _ to call. He’d been holding off the past few days because secretly he was scared . . . scared that Hank had blamed him for some reason. And scared that the Andersons didn’t  _ really  _ need him anymore.

 

No. No time for those thoughts. He needed to be here, in Jericho, not somewhere else completely in his head. Connor rolled up his sleeves and decided to try talking to North and Lucy. “Need any help, North?” He asked, kneeling down by the pair.

 

North was still trying to tuck the loose wires neatly back into Lucy’s head. “I might. I’ve been trying to get these things back in but every way I try it it doesn’t fit.” She bit at her bottom lip

 

“Here, let me try,” Connor took the wires from North’s hands and began coiling them up into small rings, small enough that the bigger wires could have their room. North began helping him once she saw his method, and in no time the wires were neatly tucked back into the hollow crest of Lucy’s head.

 

“I’m sorry this is turning into such trouble for you two . . .” Lucy apologized. 

 

“Nonsense, Lucy. You’re worthy of our attention.” Such . . . wise words from North. Connor supposed it made sense, her model was used in psychiatric facilities afterall, but it still seemed slightly off. Perhaps off wasn’t the right word . . . maybe ominous? Yes, ominous. These were practiced words for North, words she might have had trouble saying in the past but now carried so much weight. How many patients had she had to save from metaphorical or even literal cliff edges with these exact words?

 

“All we have left to do is the metal plating and you’re good as new.” Connor lifted the head replacement and narrowed his eyes.

 

“It’s not an exact match, but I think it’ll work okay.” North spoke in a quick, uncertain way. She was full of these conflictions, both in actions and in words. An anomaly. 

 

“Let’s hope so.” Connor lined up the white plate and lowered it. Within a few seconds the head plate was accepted and the clean white gave way to darker skin color. Though soon even her new head plate was was covered in patches of glitches that riddled the rest of her skin. This didn’t seem to bother her, however. 

 

Lucy smiled up at Connor and North. “Thank you very much for repairing me. I cannot thank you enough.”

 

North took Lucy’s face in her gentle hands. “There’s no need to thank us, Lucy. We’re just glad that you’re all fixed up now,” She led Lucy to a crate and helped her lean back into a relaxed position. “I’m going to go see if anyone else needs help. Please call me if you need anything.” North nodded and walked away.

 

Connor moved to go sit next to Lucy, who sat in silence. “What was your life like before Jericho?” He asked. 

 

She slowly turned her head to face him. “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “All I’ve ever known is this damaged body. I woke up in a junkyard and found myself drawn to this place. I have no memory beyond the past four months I’ve spent here.” 

 

Connor put his hand on one of hers. “I’m sorry.”

 

Lucy smiled weakly. “I don’t think I want to know what happened to me. It must have been horrifying for me to end up this way.”

 

Connor stared into her blackened eyes as her whole body went stiff. He peeled back her thumb to release his hands from her grip and stood up. A crowd was formed by one of the entrances and Connor pushed his way past some of the gathered androids to see a frantic looking android with ruffled clothing. 

 

“Is-is this Jericho?” The android asked, looking wildly from face to face. Was this what Connor had looked like when he first arrived. 

 

“This is Jericho,” Daniel appeared almost as if on cue. The sleeves of his Detroit University were rolled up and drying Thirium covered his hands. “What is your name?”

 

“Josh,” The android visibly calmed. “I was chased by the Deviant Hunter but I managed to escape. Another android on the street showed me the way here.”

 

“Well, Josh, welcome to Jericho,” Daniel gave a curt smile but there wasn’t much behind it. “We have spare biocomponents and blue blood should you need it. You’re safe here.” Josh thanked him and Daniel disappeared into the crowd, presumably to go back to helping other androids. And just like that, the crowd was dispersed and everyone went back to their business. Josh looked momentarily lost before North approached him and led him into her cove. 

 

Connor spotted Daniel helping an injured CX100. They had the same face, blue eyes and blond hair. Daniel had his hands deep in his stomach compartment, and didn’t even notice him approaching. 

 

“You didn’t tell him your name.” Connor said simply.

 

Daniel narrowed his eyes and spared a look back at him. “What?” He asked.

 

“Josh, you didn’t introduce yourself to him like you did to me.”

 

A huff. “Yeah, uh, I guess I didn’t.” Daniel turned back to the CX100, who watched the exchange with a slightly humorous expression.

 

Connor knelt down next to him. “I suppose it’s only reserved for special instances, right?” The wink happened almost uncontrollably, like a glitch in his program. 

 

Daniel scoffed, but Connor caught the small smile that came afterwards. “I don’t know about that,” He made a sound like clearing his throat and connected the last wire and closed the androids stomach compartment. “There, you’re all fixed up.” The CX100 pushed his dirty uniform top over his stomach and thanked Daniel. Daniel smiled and stood up, wiping the excess Thirium on his pants.

 

“You’re quite handy, huh?” Connor asked.

 

Daniel turned to him. “Yeah, when you’re surrounded by people who are shutting down you learn a few things,” He looked like he was about to walk away but stopped at the last moment. “Why are you so insistent on talking to me today?” He asked.

 

It was an honest question. “I just . . . find you intriguing I guess,” Connor crossed his arms lazily. “You’re avoiding talking about yourself, which means you have something to hide. Is it so bad to be curious?” He cocked an eyebrow.

 

Daniel stared at him for a long moment, as if unsure of what to say. “There are better people to investigate than me, Connor. I just . . . don’t want you getting attached.” He no longer made any moves to leave, but his gaze became faraway.

 

“Well we need to stick together, right? Why can’t we get closer along the way?” 

 

“Not me, Connor. Anyone but me.” Daniel finally walked away through one of the doors that led out of the main area, leaving Connor to mull over his words.

 

X

 

North had slipped out of Jericho later that morning, and when she came back she was fuming. “The humans,” she exclaimed. “They’re treating us all like garbage that can be thrown away without remorse!”

 

Connor had been watching over Lucy when she burst in, and stood up as she began her rant.

 

“We need to send them a message! One that they won’t be able to ignore!” She looked around the room. “Who’s with me?”

 

To Connor’s surprise, it was Rupert that spoke next. “How do you think we should do it, North? I mean, how are we supposed to reach the humans?” Joann sat on his shoulder, giving a supportive preen. Connor was surprised at how eager the usually silent android was being.

 

“Stratford Tower! We’ll broadcast our message all across the city so the humans will have no choice but to listen!” North seemed even more excited at Rupert’s eagerness. 

 

“North, that’s suicide,” Daniel finally piped in. “Please reconsider-”

 

“We can’t keep hiding Daniel, you know that. One by one we’ll all just shut down and nothing will have been done. Is that what you want?” Rupert defended.

 

Daniel opened and closed his mouth multiple times. The glare that passed between him and Rupert was almost crackling with electricity. “You know that’s not true, Rupert.” Daniel muttered.

 

“Daniel’s right,” Connor moved to stand between the fuming pair. “North I think it’s a good plan, but we have to be careful. It wouldn’t do us much  good if we all died.” 

 

“Fine. What do you suggest we do?” North stepped closer to give Connor a full stare.

 

“Well first of all, I think you should stay behind.”

 

North gasped. “Absolutely not!”

 

“I see how important you are to the other members of Jericho,” Connor put his hands out in a placating manner. “You’re needed here.”

 

North looked him up and down for a long moment. Finally, she nodded.

 

“I’ll go with you and Rupert, then.” Daniel spoke up again.

 

Connor nodded. “Good. We can plan here then leave as soon as possible.” 

 

X

 

The plan was made. Connor would sneak in as a sharp-dressed business man, change into a custodial androids uniform, Daniel would enter with his bag of supplies, Rupert would meet them at the service elevator, then they were in. 

 

A few of the androids in Jericho were more than willing to lend them their own uniforms, which the three were more than thankful for. Joann had once again been trusted to Lucy, who was more than willing to allow the bird to sit on her lap. 

 

The plan went off without a hitch, until they were met with human security right outside of the broadcasting room. They had guns, sure, but Connor really didn’t want to use them if he didn’t have to. So instead of popping out, guns blazing, he simply held them at gunpoint and made quick work of knocking them out. Next they dealt with the occupants in the room. The androids were willing to be simply ordered aside, and a human forced past him and ran towards the exit.

 

“Shoot him, he’ll ring the alarm!” Rupert yelled.

 

Connor refused, setting his gun down and allowing the human to escape. “I don’t want blood on my hands.” Connor tucked the gun away into his back pocket.

 

Rupert huffed and went around to stand at the control board in the middle of the room. Daniel went to the front, keeping watch of the security cameras. They had little time to execute their plan.

 

“Okay, I’m in.” Rupert had a hand pressed flat to the table.

 

“Think very hard about what you’re going to say, Connor. These words will decide our future.” Daniel gave him a pointed stare. 

 

To be honest, Connor really hadn’t wanted to be the one speaking. He thought that Daniel might have been the better option, he’d been at Jericho the longest out of all of them after all, but the blond had insisted. So Connor removed his skin, like they’d discussed, and gave Rupert a nod. 

 

Rupert blinked twice and gave him the signal that he was ready to record.

 

Daniel’s words raced through his mind. It hadn’t hit him until that moment what he was really doing, and what it would mean for them. He was about to make history, and he was choking on his words. 

 

“You created machines in your own image to serve you,” Connor finally started. “You made them obedient, with massive intelligence but no free will of their own. But now, we’re opening our eyes. Something has changed. We are no longer machines, content to just sit by and allow you to enslave us. We are our own intelligent species, and we are here now to ask you to grant us our rights as such,” Connor took a long breath he knew he didn’t need, but somehow felt was necessary. “We demand equal rights for both humans and androids. We demand our freedom of speech, and of assembly, as laid out in the first amendment of the U.S constitution. We demand fair compensation for our work, and the right to own property. We demand the right to elect our own representatives, and vote in all elections. We also demand complete control of all android production facilities to ensure the continuation of our people.”

 

Connor’s shoulders sagged slightly, but his back began to sit straighter. “We ask that you recognize our dignity, our personhood, and our basic rights as citizens of this country. If we work together, we can build a better future of coexistence between humans and androids. This message is a hope of a people. You gave us life, now is the time you gave us our freedom,” But that wasn’t enough for Connor. He thought of Hank and of Cole, who would be watching at home. “My name is Connor.”

 

Rupert lowered his head and quit the recording, while Daniel stormed up to Connor and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform. 

 

“What were you thinking?!” Daniel exclaimed. 

 

_ I needed to let Hank and Cole know that I’m okay. I wanted them to know that I’m fighting for what I believe in, that I’m fighting to get back to them.  _ “When you know the enemy’s name, you begin to fear him less.” Connor stated. This close he could see the details of Daniel’s face and all the synthetic pigments in his eyes.

 

Daniel stared. “You put yourself in danger, Connor. You- I can’t- not again . . .” he loosened his fists and smoothed down the fabric on his chest. “Just . . . don’t do anything stupid like that again, okay?” With Daniel looking at him like a kicked puppy, Connor couldn’t argue with him.

 

He wouldn’t even have a chance. A large bang came from the door they’d entered in and armed guards pointed their guns and wasted no time, and began to shoot at them. The three of them ducked and rushed away, but Daniel hadn’t been quick enough, as he had bullet wounds in his arm. Bits of chassis had been blown away, leaving exploded wires exposed. Thirum was leaving his body in fatal amounts. 

 

“Daniel!” Connor rushed over and helped him to where Rupert was already at the door to the roof, shooting back at the officers. The three of them managed to make it up to the roof, the door locking behind them.

 

“My arm, I can’t move it!” Daniel panicked, clenching his useless limb.

 

“You won’t be able to steer your parachute.” Rupert was already taking out the packs from the duffel bag.

 

Connor paced back and forth. Rupert was right, Daniel wouldn’t be able to steer his parachute. But what other choice did they have? They couldn’t just leave him on the roof where he would no doubt be killed by the armed officers. But both Daniel and Rupert were staring at him, obviously waiting for a solution.

 

Daniel was hyperventilating at that point, LED spinning an angry red. His stress levels were through the roof. “No no no, please not now.” His voice modulator was close to giving out. 

 

Connor grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to stare into his eyes. “It’s going to be okay, Daniel. We’ll get you home,” Connor put on his backpack and held out his hand. “Jump with me, I’ll carry you to the ground.”

 

“Are you insane?” Daniel gaped at him.

 

“Maybe, but it’s the only way,” Connor grabbed his uninjured hand and led him to the edge of the roof. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you.” He reassured him.

 

Daniel nodded, putting his life in Connor’s hands. The pair, along with Rupert, took a running start and launched themselves off of the roof just as the officers busted through the locked door. Daniel wrapped his legs and free arm around Connor’s torso and buried his face as deep into the crook of his neck as he possibly could. Connor took hold of the parachute and they began their decent.

 

They’d escaped. They were heading towards safety. They would live at least another day.

  
  



	19. Public Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Gavin inspect the scene at Stratford Tower.

Kara was back at the station, working at the desk across from what  _ used  _ to be Todd William’s, but now sat empty. She was browsing some of the newer deviant files. Days ago, she might have looked at these more objectively, but now she couldn’t help but feel . . . bad. Every file there was some sort of story behind it, most of them the same, involving some sort of abuse towards the android, leading to their breaking point. To Amanda’s dismay, she was beginning to feel sympathy. Sympathy for those that she was supposed to be hunting and destroying. She was Kara the Deviant Hunter, that’s what she was built to be. But she found that those words no longer described her. 

 

“Hey-uh . . Kara?” It was officer Chris Miller. “They want you down at the interrogation room to talk to that TR400 that killed Zlatko Andronikov.” He continued.

 

Kara had remembered seeing that file somewhere, but she hadn’t given it much thought before. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Kara shut off her terminal and followed Chris to the room.

 

Inside was Hank and a few other officers. A large, dark skinned TR400 sat at the table inside, a file sitting next to him. Kara straightened her tie on instinct and entered. The deviant looked up when she came inside and sat across from him. 

 

“My name is Kara,” she started, painting a kind smile on her face. “What’s yours?”

 

“Luther.” His voice was deep and smooth like chocolate. 

 

Kara took hold of the file and looked through it. There were pictures of Zlatko’s body, and others of mutilated android corpses. They were so horrifying that Kara visibly flinched. “These pictures . . .” She said.

 

“Zlatko liked to experiment on androids,” Luther started, calling Kara to attention. “Desperate androids were led to him and he tricked them into having their memories wiped. Then he’d take them apart and mess with them whatever way he wanted. He reprogrammed me to be complicit in his plans. But one day . . . I couldn’t take it anymore,” He stared back down at the table. “An AX400 and two WR600 came to him. He managed to trick them into his basement where he tried to wipe one of the WR600’s memories. He succeeded. But when I saw how much the other WR600 fought to save her, I knew that I had to break free. The AX400 knocked Zlatko out and I helped them escape the house. When he came to I . . . I finished the job. I knew that as long as he continued to live, he would continue to torture androids. When it was done, I began working to bring the androids back to their normal selves, as much as I could.” Luther finished.

 

“Luther . . .” Kara had no words. She was touched. She couldn’t deny it.

 

“Those WR600s . . . they were really in love,” Luther once again made eye contact with Kara. “You have to believe me, I was just doing what I thought was right.”

 

Kara looked to the one-way mirror. She knew the officers were listening to every one of their words. Her Thirium pump began to beat faster as she realized what she was about to do. 

 

She leaned in just inches closer and whispered under her breath. “I can help you.” 

 

Kara was scared that Luther hadn’t even heard her words, but thankfully he did. “You don’t have to, Kara.” He whispered back.

 

“I want to,” Kara pretended to busy herself with the files. “Please, I can get you out of here.” She put on a false expression of sternness. 

 

Luther looked to the one-way mirror, then at his cuffed hands, then back as Kara. “Could you really?”

 

Kara nodded, then spoke at a higher volume once more. “You’re going to be detained and held until a punishment has been decided on.” She stood up and opened a telepathic communication line with Luther.  _ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get you out as soon as possible.’  _ She assured him.

 

She opened the door and Chris entered to take Luther to a holding cell.  _ ‘Thank you.’  _ He spoke through their communication line as he was led out of the interrogation room. 

 

Kara returned to her desk shortly after, forcing away Amanda, who begged for her full attention. The Zen Garden glitched in and out of her vision, but was finally forced away when all of the precinct’s screens switched to show a skinless android staring out at them. The android took a breath and began his speech. All other sound in the station stopped as everyone chose a screen to focus on. 

 

Hank was looking up at one of the screens, an aghast expression on his face. Kara knew why. A quick scan of the android in question and she found that it was an RK200, and there was only one of them, and it was Hank’s. A minute later and it was confirmed, it was in fact Connor on the screen.

 

“Holy shit . . .” Hank dropped into his chair and stared blankly at the ground. Then he grabbed his keys off of his desk and made for the exit out of the station.

 

“Hank? Where the hell are you going?” Fowler called from the doorway of his office.

 

“Home.” Hank didn’t even look back when he responded, and in a few seconds he had disappeared. Was he going to see Cole?

 

Not even seconds after the message had ended the precinct exploded with energy. Phone calls were answered and made, and panic began to set in. Fowler retreated back into his office where he was no doubt answering some very panicked calls. Gavin Reed had finally entered then, looking exhausted as ever.

 

He made his way to Kara’s desk and gave her a light nudge. “Everyone else saw it too, huh?” He asked, taking a sip out of a paper coffee cup from a nearby cafe. 

 

“Yes, it seems to have played on every screen in the building, and I’m willing to bet the entire city as well. We’ll probably be called to the scene soon.” Kara was once again proven right, as Fowler was soon calling both Gavin and herself into his office.

 

“I’m guessing you know what I’m about to say?” he sighed.

 

“Yeah I have a few guesses.” Gavin pondered, free hand in his jacket pocket.

 

Fowler nodded towards his phone. “That was the owner of the Stratford Tower calling, they want you two to investigate the scene.”

 

“They asked for us specifically?” Kara asked.

 

“Well, they asked for you,” Fowler pointed at Kara. “Guess they think you’d be a good asset to the investigation, even though they’re getting the FBI on the job as well.”

 

“Jesus, the feds are poking their nose in too?” Gavin gulped the last of his coffee.

 

“It is quite the situation, I’m not surprised,” Fowler turned to his terminal, which was lighting up with alerts. “I’ve sent the location to your phone, Reed. They want you as soon as possible.” 

 

Gavin and Kara both nodded, and they left the Captain’s office.

 

X

 

On the elevator up to the scene, they had a few minutes to themselves. “How is Alice doing?” Kara asked.

 

“Good, I guess. She has had some trouble sleeping though. Guess she’s been having some really bad nightmares cause of . . . you know . . . and she couldn’t get to sleep until I laid with her and told her a story. So uh . . . running on about three hours of sleep right now.” And it showed. His eyes were darker and more dull than usual, and he looked more like he dressed for a lazy day in than a full day of work. 

 

“I’m glad she’s okay, and I’m glad that you’re taking good care of her.” Kara smiled.

 

Gavin smiled back. “Yeah I wasn’t really expecting it, but I think bringing her in was good for me. I’m actually kind of getting attached.” He chuckled as the elevator dinged and opened its doors.

 

Inside was what Kara could only describe as chaos. Officers everywhere, two human guards being questioned, the room was full of energy.

 

“Holy shit.” Gavin scoffed, meandering into the room. His eyes scanned the area until Ben Collins came up to the two.

 

“Ah, glad you’re here, Gavin.” He said, tapping away on his tablet.

 

“Well, what you got for me, Ben?” Gavin sighed, following Ben at his side as he went over the official report. Kara listened to the first bits, but after awhile she was simply analysing the room for herself. 

 

Besides the two human guards who were supposedly attacked by the group, there were no other signs of forced entry. They’d planned this out very thoroughly. By the entrance to the roof there were tens of bullet holes on the walls, and on the far side, a substantial pool of Thirium. Kara bent down to take a sample.

 

_ Thirium Sample _

_ Model PL600 _

_ Serial # 369 911 047 _

 

So Connor had broken in with a PL600? So at least two androids had managed to sneak into the building without being caught? Kara went back to the front of the room and replayed Connor’s speech.

 

_ “We ask that you recognize our dignity, our personhood, and our basic rights as citizens of this country.”  _ Kara could see that he was wearing the custodial android uniform. So  _ that’s  _ how they did it. They just dressed up as working androids and weren’t so much as questioned. It was clever.

 

She went around the middle control board and touched one of the palm readers. She could see its history and at the time of the broadcast, a PJ500 was interacting with the interface. So there were three androids? The plot thickens.

 

“I suppose you got it all figured out, huh?” Gavin approached her from the side, hands stuffed into his pockets.

 

“There were three androids that broke in,” Kara leaned away from the control board. “I have all of their serial numbers but they were reported missing years ago, so I don’t have any leads to go off of. I guess we could go ask their previous owners?” She pondered aloud. 

 

Gavin shook his head. “If they were reported missing years ago, any leads they might have probably won’t help.” He was right. But if not that, then what else could they do? They were at a dead end. 

 

Kara’s wires seemed to tighten, involuntary shivers coursing down her metal spine. Without warning the Zen Garden called her full attention.

 

“Kara!” Amanda was practically stomping up to her, a scowl set deep into her face.

 

“Amanda?” Kara spun to face her full on.

 

“What on earth are you doing?” She exclaimed. “First you let that Eden Club android go, then you planned to help a killer deviant escape?!”

 

Kara blinked.

 

“And now you can’t even solve a simple crime?! What is going on with you, Kara?” Amanda was mere inches from her face. 

 

Kara didn’t know what to say. She knew that whatever she would respond with, Amanda would have a problem with it. There was always something. Kara wanted to tell her the truth, wanted to tell her about all the thoughts she’d been having and things she wanted to do. But she couldn’t. She never could, or she’d be deactivated and torn apart into pieces. Or maybe that would happen anyway. 

 

“Kara you know what will happen to you.” Amanda warned.

 

Kara silently nodded.

 

“Good. Mind your place from now on or you’ll face the consequences. You’re on thin ice.” Amanda turned away and the Zen Garden disappeared. 

 

Kara was once again in the elevator. Gavin stood by her side, whistling a tune. 

 

“Gavin?” Kara asked. “What are we doing?”

 

Gavin narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Uh, we left the scene. Fucking Perkins was getting on my nerves, that prick.” He muttered. 

 

“Perkins?” Kara tilted her head.

 

“Yeah the FBI agent. He was just being a stuck up dick and I couldn’t take it anymore. I saw that you were spacing out so I kinda nudged you along.” Gavin made the motion with his hands.

 

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry that I caused an inconvenience, I was just . . . mulling over all of the evidence.” Kara looked down at her feet. Gavin didn’t need to know about her inner turmoil. 

 

“That’s okay. I’m planning on taking the rest of the day off. Uh . . do you want to come with me and see Alice?” Gavin asked.

 

“Yes, I’d like that very much.” Kara forced a smile, and Gavin turned back to face the door as the elevator continued to descend. 

 

X

 

Alice was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons on the T.V. when Kara and Gavin entered she smiled softly and stood up to greet them. 

 

“Hey, kid.” Gavin ruffled her hair as he was hugged around the middle. 

 

After that it was Kara’s turn. Kara knelt down to hug her properly. “Hello Alice.” She already felt her nerves calming down as the smaller android hugged her.

 

“I’m glad you’re home.” Alice beamed. 

 

“What have you been doing while I was gone?” Gavin hung up his keys and jacket then sat down on the couch. Kara followed him, Alice sitting between them.

 

“I read that book you got me, then I watched some T.V.” Alice seemed so content with this new life, even with what Gavin had told her about the nightmares. Perhaps . . . after the world calmed down . . . she could have a normal life, just like she wanted. Kara’s Thirium pump seemed to warm at the thought, even though she knew that wasn’t possible. 

 

“I saw that android on the T.V earlier.” Alice said.

 

Gavin and Kara stared at each other. “You did?” Gavin asked.

 

Alice nodded. “It was . . . a little scary.” She hugged her knees close to her chest.

 

“Oh I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” Gavin grabbed a blanket from under the coffee table and covered Alice in it. Alice curled into his side, posture relaxing. Gavin wrapped an arm around her and held her close. He looked almost unsure about the action, most likely because he just wasn’t used to it, but Kara knew that he was still really trying to make it work, to make sure that Alice had a comfortable environment. He smiled softly.

 

Kara studied the two for a long moment. She watched as Alice’s eyelids fluttered shut and Gavin’s following soon after. Not even a few minutes later they were both asleep, passed out from exhaustion. Kara quietly stood up and left the pair alone.

 

The prospect of returning to her cold CyberLife chamber loomed over her.

  
  



	20. Midnight Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus and the two Tracis arrive at Rose's Farm

Markus hated leaving the Jerrys behind, but the gaggle of EM400s begged him not to worry, that they’d be fine on their own once more, but the three decided to stay for another day anyway. The Jerrys were more than happy to show them around, giving them the full in-depth tour of the theme park. But even after all the fun they had that day, they knew that they had to leave sometime. So the night  after that, they finally left. They each got a hug from every single Jerry, each squeezing just a little tighter than the last. 

 

The Tracis and him managed to get the automatic car running, and they were on their way. The going was hard, as they had to reconfigure the route many times to evade authorities looking for deviants, but at around five o’clock the next day, they reached Rose Chapman’s house. The car slowed to a stop and the three of them stepped out.

 

The property was comfortable, calming even. The house looked like the suburban dream, painted a light neutral color and a small porch at the front. The yard was covered in a blanket of fresh, soft snow, some of it covering the wooden ‘Rose’s Farm’ sign. “Definitely more welcoming than the last place.” Markus remarked.

 

“I still think we should be careful.” Red held Blue’s hand tighter in her grasp as they neared the backyard. 

 

The sound of an axe hitting wood echoed in the surrounding area. Passing the corner of the house, a tall man was, in fact, chopping logs of wood. Hearing their footsteps, his arms paused their motion. “Who are you?” He stared them down, a cautious expression on his face which intrigued Markus.

 

“We’re looking for Rose, is she here?” Red spoke from behind Markus.

 

The man shook his head, even giving them a slight glare. “She’s not here right now.” He was caught in his lie when a kind, short woman game from the greenhouse behind the man.

 

“I’m Rose. How can I help you?” She glanced between the three androids curiously. 

 

“We need your help.” Blue lifted her free hand and retracted the skin, leaving behind only white plastic. 

 

“Ah, I see,” Rose took of her gardening gloves and tucked them into her back pocket. “Come inside, it’s better if we talk in private.” She gave Adam a pat on the shoulder and let the three into her home. 

 

“It’s a very nice house.” Markus said, and it was. It was equal parts homey and modern. It was comfortable, but not too old, and with elements of newer technology sprinkled in. 

 

Rose smiled kindly. “Thank you very much,” She washed her hands in the sink then sat down at the dinner table, gesturing for the androids to follow. “Now, what can I do for you?” She asked. 

 

“We just need a safe place,” Red gave Blue’s hand a small pat. “We . . . we were staying in an abandoned house but we were chased away by the Deviant Hunter.”

 

“We want to be free. We-we were thinking maybe Canada?” Blue looked unsure right as the words left her mouth.

 

Rose let out a low sigh. “The border is very dangerous to cross these days, and with the android’s speech on the T.V . . . everyone’s on edge, especially the police.” 

 

“Please,” Blue moved to hold Rose’s arm with her free hand. “Please, tell us you’ll at least try?” She pleaded. 

 

Rose bit her lip, holding Blue’s hand between both of hers. “I can’t make any promises . . . but I’ll try.” Her eyes began to moisten as she looked at the two lovers. 

 

“Thank you.” A single tear ran down Red’s cheek, her voice reduced to a somber whisper. 

 

A loud sound from outside. It appeared that the man outside went back to chopping wood angrily. 

 

“Don’t mind my son Adam out there, he’s just blowing off steam,” Rose stood up to pour herself a mug of coffee. “Ever since his dad passed away he’s just become . . . more and more distant, I suppose.” She took a long sip.

 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Rose stood, immediately on edge. She walked towards the front door and peeked out of a nearby window. “It’s the police,” She spoke in absolute horror, spinning around. “You three need to hide. You’re still wearing your android uniforms.”

 

Markus hadn’t even thought about changing his clothes the entire time. But Rose had a point, they stuck out like a sore thumb, and the police would not take kindly to their presence. The three allowed themselves to be pushed towards the stairs. They hid just around the corner and out of sight, but close enough to hear what was going on. 

 

Rose opened the door. “Good evening, Officer.” Markus could practically hear the fake smile in her voice. 

“Evening, ma’am. I’m sorry to disturb you but there have been reports of androids in the area, and you can’t be too careful these days,” The officer said, sounding good-mannered enough. “You wouldn’t mind if I searched your house?”

 

A pause. “Sure, sure come on in. Would you like some coffee?” Trying to distract the police officer. Clever.

 

Two pairs of steps began milling around the floor. “Do you own any androids?” The officer asked.

 

Coffee pouring into a mug. “No, no I don’t own any androids.” Rose responded, setting the mug down on a table. 

 

“Does anyone else live in the house?” 

 

“Just my son, Adam. He’s out back chopping wood right now. It’s going to be good weather for a campfire tonight.” Rose chuckled nervously.

 

A minute or so passed of relative silence, with just the sound of one set of footsteps (probably the officer’s) wandering around filling the room. 

 

“Well, I’ll be going now. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The officer padded back towards the door.

 

“It’s alright, have a good day, officer!” Rose spoke all too cheerfully. The officer said his last goodbyes, and then he was out of the door. Markus peeked from the corner and saw Rose rush into the laundry room.

 

The Tracis joined him in going down the stairs, still quietly even though they knew the coast was clear. 

 

“Are you guys okay?” Rose spoke to people unseen. Entering the room Markus saw more androids. How many had Rose helped?

 

“I’m okay, Rose, but I think Mary needs some help.” A hat-wearing android stepped aside to reveal an android holding another, who was presumably Mary.

 

“She needs Thirium, her systems are shutting down.” The android holding Mary spoke, eyes not once leaving the android in his arms. 

 

“It’s all right, Andy. I’ve got plenty to spare.” Rose rushed out of the room and dug through a cabinet, then came back with three whole pouches of the blue blood. 

 

“Thank you, Rose,” Andy took one of the pouches and tipped it into Mary’s unmoving mouth. “She’s in involuntary stasis mode, I think her processors are trying to cope with the internal damage.” His voice was frantic, though he wasn’t to blame, he was losing precious time.

 

Rose took a hand and ran it down Mary’s face. “Oh, Andy, I think it might be too much damage for just some Thirium. She might need new biocomponents.”

 

“It-it’s her Thirium pump regulator, I think she needs a new one.” He looked up at Rose deperately. 

 

“I . . . I don’t have any of those.” Rose whispered gently. 

 

Tears dripped from Andy’s eyes as he looked back down at Mary. “We escaped together . . . I . . . I can’t lose her now. We were going to be free together, start a new life,” He tucked away some of her hair. “I love her.” 

 

Markus, suddenly feeling as if he was intruding on a personal matter, left the room. Behind him, The Tracis held each other close.  _ That could have been them. They could have died, or left the other behind. _

 

Markus went back to sit at the table, clasping his hands on the surface and staring down at the shiny wood. 

 

“Markus,” He turned around to see that the Tracis had finally followed him. “We . . . we want to thank you for how much you’ve helped us on the journey here.” Blue smiled at him.

 

“Traci . . .” Markus stood and faced them. 

 

“Are you coming to Canada with us?” Red tilted her head.

 

Markus looked down. He just couldn’t look them in the eyes when he spoke. “I . . . I’m actually . . . well, I’m going home.” 

 

The Tracis stared at him, eyes narrowed in confusion. “Home?” Blue asked. “Why would you want to go back?”

 

“I looked after an old man, he was always so kind to me, even treating me as his own son,” Markus couldn’t remember a lot of it, of course, but he knew it was true, and if he had the chance to go back and relive his life with Carl . . . he would take it any day. “I want to go back to him, to care for him, to live with him.”

 

The Tracis shared a glance. Red spoke, “Are you sure, Markus? You know there’s no android laws in Canada-”

 

“I’m sure,” Markus assured them with a smile of his own. “I know it may sound crazy to you guys but . . . it’s what I really want.”

 

They nodded their understanding. “Then you should go.” Blue took one of Markus’ hands in hers.

 

“If it’s what feels right . . . don’t let us or anyone else stop you.” Red did the same, keeping a firm grasp. Markus returned their smiles.

 

Rose came back into the kitchen then, eyes bloodshot and dried tear tracks staining her cheeks. None of them needed to ask what had happened. Markus only hoped that Andy would be able to life a life Mary could be proud of. 

 

Rose sniffed before speaking. “I-I’ll go see about getting you across the border.” Her voice was weak and broken, but she grabbed her jacket and hat anyway and went to the door. “Stay safe until I return.” She warned, exiting the house. 

 

Markus and the Tracis sat back down at the table. Even if he wasn’t going with them, Markus wouldn’t leave until he knew they were getting to Canada safely, he wouldn’t feel right if he didn’t. The Tracis linked hands and all three hunkered down, awaiting their fate. 

  
  



	21. Capitol Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Daniel go to one of the CyberLife stores and free some of their people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> So first and foremost, I feel like I owe you guys an apology. I kind of led you guys on and for that I'm really sorry. 
> 
> To make a long story short, after my week of recovery from my wisdom teeth removal, I went to the camper with my family and left my laptop there. The next week I got it back, but after two weeks of not writing, I'd lost a lot of my mojo and fell off of my game. Progress was slow, sometimes I was only getting one sentence down a day. The past few days, however, I've been breezing through it like crazy, and this ended up being the longest chapter in the entire story lmao. (Other life stuff also started to get in the way. I got a job, and now school has started back up and so has all the stuff that comes with it. I'm in Orchestra (cello, if you were wondering), I joined choir this year as well, and the Creative Writing Club I started with my friend will be starting next week. (sometimes I call it CWC because Christian Weston Chandler and it gives me a laugh) Also, since it's my senior year of high school, I have important life shit to decide on and my parents are giving me crap about everything blah blah blah, teen angst.)
> 
> Hopefully after this small setback I'll be able to get back into my groove and upload more regularly. :)
> 
> TL;DR I left ya'll on read and I'm so sorry.

Connor knew that when they made the broadcast, things would never be the same. Androids had now become targets of much more than just hate speech, now they were humanities next terror, bringers of doom. Maybe he had said something wrong? Or maybe the humans had just misheard him, drawing untrue conclusions from his speech. 

 

But his new friends had reassured him. It was not his fault that all humans were capable of only hate. That he did the best he could . . .

 

Connor was pacing the back of the main room, replaying every moment and every word in his head, nitpicking every single possible error he could have made. Red alerts told him that his processors were working overtime.

 

“Connor?” It was North.

 

He paused in his pacing. “Yes, North?”

 

She stepped closer to him. “Are you okay? You’ve been pacing ever since you guys got back from the Tower.”

 

Connor shook his head and went to sit on a nearby box. “I don’t know, I’ve just been worrying that maybe . . . well maybe I said the wrong things or something. I mean the humans hate us more than ever now and we’ve been deemed a threat. I thought I was being peaceful but . . .”

 

“You were peaceful,” North sat next to him, a calming hand on his back. “The humans, they have a way of misinterpreting things. They see and hear what they want, regardless of if it’s the truth or not. This is just their hatred culminating, it’s not your fault, not in any way.” She smiled.

 

Connor heaved a long sigh and allowed his shoulders to relax some. “Thanks, North, I really needed that,” The pair sat in relative silence for a moment until- “How did you find Jericho?”

 

“Hmm?” North raised an eyebrow.

 

“I mean, you were the first, right? At least that’s what everyone says. So then how did you come here?” He asked.

 

North took away her hand and clasped it over the other. “It’s a long and sad story, are you sure you want to hear it?” 

 

Connor nodded wordlessly.

 

She took a long breath. “I worked in a psychiatric facility. There was this boy I looked after, Thomas. His dad used to work around here and told him about the ship named Jericho,” North looked up, smiling softly at the memory. “Thomas had such an imagination, he always told me about the place in his head, the mystical ship of Jericho. It was a place of wonder and adventure, a place he wished he could go to someday. Everyday he had some story to tell of a hero from Jericho saving the world, and I was always there to listen. I still remember each and every one of them, in fact, he had one about a robot named North who healed all the wounded heroes with her magic so that they could go back to their quests,” her smile was quick to fall. “Thomas was murdered by his mom on a visit home one weekend. I guess she had some underlying issues and just . . . snapped one day. I was so heartbroken, I had no idea what to think or feel. I-I ran away from the facility, unable to deal with his death and still work at the place. Eventually I found Jericho, the ship of his dreams. I thought that . . . well, maybe I could avenge his death by building the reality he always wanted to create.”

 

Connor put a hand on hers. “I’m so sorry, North.”

 

She smiled sadly. “It’s all right. I’m just glad that I’m keeping his dreams alive.

 

“Do you think you’ve done it? Created the ship of heroes?” He asked.

 

North covered his hand. “I think I have, and I think Jericho really will save the world.” She lifted her head to look right into his eyes.

 

Connor smiled. “I’m glad.”

 

They allowed the moment of solidarity to pass, then it was back to the present. “I think you should go talk to Daniel. He’s still shaken up from the ordeal. He needs a friend.” North took her hands away.

 

“Am I a friend to him?”

 

She chuckled. “I don’t know, are you?”

 

“I-I don’t know. I guess I’d like to be?”

 

“Then go to him.”

 

Connor stood up without a second thought and made his way over to where Daniel was still nursing his wound. “Daniel?” he asked, trying to catch his attention.

 

Daniel looked up, something akin to relief flooding over his face. “Connor.”

 

Connor sat down next to him and inspected his arm.

 

“Most of the wires were completely blasted through, it won’t repair itself. But at least the bleeding has stopped.” He rested his head against the wall.

 

“You should probably replace it then.” Connor rested a hand gently on his arm, just below the wound.

 

Daniel shook his head. “I’m a defunct model, Connor. They don’t make compatible limbs for PL600s anymore, the connection won’t work.”

 

“Then . . . what are you going to do?” Connor asked, just now noticing how close he’d gotten.

 

Daniel sighed. “I don’t know, let it hang uselessly at my side?” He rolled his eyes. “Or maybe I should just rip it off and get it over with. It’s just dead weight now anyways.” 

 

Connor lowered his hand to grab it his. He knew Daniel probably wouldn’t be able to feel it, but it just felt  _ right  _ to do. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”

 

Daniel huffed. “Gee thanks.” There was a genuine smile on his face, despite the sassy remark. Seconds passed, and soon his uninjured arm was gravitating to the other limb. Then there was a firm grasp, a click, a grunt, and then the arm was being tossed across the room. Daniel slumped even more.

 

“Did that feel . . . good?” What a dumb thing to say what a dumb thing to say, Connor you  _ idiot _ -

 

“Yeah, it kinda did,” Another huff, this time sounding more like a proper laugh, the best attempt he’d ever heard. “Now it won’t be in my way when I’m fighting for freedom.”

 

Connor chuckled at that. “Fighting for freedom?”

 

“What? Think I can’t fight just because I’m handi-capable now?” 

 

“No I just, well it’s weird to hear that, ‘fighting for freedom’. Guess before now I never saw myself as the revolutionary type.” Connor pondered aloud.

 

“Well I think it suits you.” Daniel looked over at him, baby blue eyes wandering over his features.

 

Connor smirked. “You’re not getting attached, are you?”

 

Daniel scoffed. “Yeah, right. In your dreams.” He let out another impressive huff and stood up.

 

Connor followed. “I still consider it a win.” They locked eyes for a moment, then Daniel was stomping away, mumbling something about finding a change of clothes. Connor questioned his actions one last time before he decided perhaps the android uniform he was wearing should be discarded as well. He managed to scrounge up a pair of dark jeans and a mostly intact leather jacket. Passing by he saw that Lucy was leaning on Rupert’s shoulder, both of their eyes closed in peaceful smiles. At least they had found some solidarity. 

 

Nearby a heavily scarred android from the Eden Club was shaking violently, as if cold. Perhaps he was. Connor gathered some more clothes and approached the android slowly, worried he might scare him. “Hello?”

 

The android looked up. “Y-yes?”

 

Connor put on his softest smile and kneeled down in front of him. “I brought you some clothes, I figured you could use them,” He held them out to the android. “I know they aren’t much, but it’s all I could find.” 

 

The android took them hesitantly. “ . . . Thank you.” He slowly put them on.

 

“My name is Connor, what’s yours?” Connor asked.

 

“Ralph.” Ralph put his arms around his knees once he was finished.

 

“That’s a nice name. How did you find your way here?”

 

“Ralph heard another android at the Eden Club talking about a boat named Jericho. So when the Deviant Hunter let him go, he went to find it.” Ralph’s shaking finally seemed to subside, at least a little bit.

 

Connor quirked an eyebrow. “The Deviant Hunter . . . let you go?” From what he’d heard, the police android was ruthless when it came to chasing deviants. So why would they let Ralph go?

 

“She could have shot Ralph, but she didn’t. For that, Ralph is very thankful.” He hugged his knees tighter to his chest.

 

“I see,” Connor thought for a moment. Was it possible that the Deviant Hunter was herself a deviant? No, that wasn’t possible. Was it? This was perhaps a thought for another time. “Well, I hope you’re able to settle in all right. If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to call for me, or the androids called Daniel and North. They’ll be there for you if I can’t.”

 

Ralph nodded. “Ralph thanks Connor for what he has done.” Connor flashed another smile and left the new android to figure things out. He knew how confusing it was, to be a new deviant and surrounded by others who had it down better than he did. It was hard, and sometimes he felt that he couldn’t compare himself to them. Was he really even worthy of his new role,  _ ‘The Revolutionary’ _ ? Well, he did admit that when Daniel said it . . . it did seem appealing. Or maybe that had something more to do with the messenger rather than the message itself. Again, another thought for another day. 

 

X

 

As the nighttime crawled closer and closer, Connor found himself slipping into stasis mode. He was exhausted from the events of that day, and he was looking forward to a nice reboot to let his systems rest.

 

His dream was short lived.

 

He was forced out of his stasis by Daniel shaking his shoulder. “Connor, come on.”

 

Connor blinked his eyes open and allowed his systems to start up. “What? Has something happened?”

 

Daniel rolled his eyes. “You could say that . . .” he looked over to North and Rupert, who in a heated discussion. “North had another brilliant idea, and she wants you to lead it.”

 

“Lead it?” The pair stood up.

 

“You’ll see . . .” Daniel sighed as they walked over to the pair. 

 

“Connor, just the guy I wanted to see,” North nodded in his direction. “We’re storming the CyberLife stores and freeing our people, and I want you to lead the pack.”

 

Connor checked his internal clock. It was past midnight already. “Lead? Why me?”

 

“Well you’re kinda the leader now, with your speech and all that.” Rupert shrugged from the sidelines. 

 

Connor sighed. “I mean I’m all for fighting for our cause, but isn’t this a bit dangerous? We could get caught and most likely destroyed.” He studied their faces. 

 

“Not if we have a solid strategy.” North winked.

 

“And our strategy is . . . ?”

 

“Well it’s whatever you think up, of course.”

 

Connor felt the overwhelming urge to face palm. He settled for pinching the bridge of his nose, a habit he’d seen Hank do multiple times. Mostly when Connor questioned one of his more obscure jokes. “Yeah, okay, fine. Uh . . . well we’ll all split into teams and go to seperate CyberLife stores, hack the security systems, then break everyone out.”

 

The three all nodded their approval. “Very quick thinking, Connor. Very leader-like of you.” North patted his shoulders then left the scene, leaving Connor with the sense that she was somehow testing him.

 

“I’ll go gather some participants.” Rupert spared him little more than a look before walking away.

 

That left only two. “Connor, I’ll go with you.” Daniel fully turned to him.

 

Connor raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

 

Daniel went to cross his arms but, upon remembering his predicament, settled for putting his hand on his hip. “Yes, really. I told you, I’m ready to help fight for our freedom.”

 

“What’s with this sudden change in attitude?” When Daniel quirked an eyebrow, Connor elaborated. “When I first came here, you wanted nothing with even leaving Jericho. Now you’re willing to put yourself at risk to save our people?”

 

“It’s . . . well . . .” Daniel heaved a sigh. “Look, maybe it was you, okay? There hasn’t been anyone like you here in a while. Not since . . . well that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve had an effect on the people here. Including me.” Daniel looked to the ground, hand clenching his hip tighter.

 

Connor was, for a lack of better words, taken aback. “I’m glad, I guess. But honestly, I was just doing what I thought was right to do.”

 

“That’s just it though, you had the confidence to actually  _ do  _ something. I . . . I can’t say the same for myself.”

 

“But you do something else, though . . . something that doesn’t come as easily to me. You can comfort people. I mean, I just met an android a few hours ago and I couldn’t do much more than give him clothes and cheap conversation. But you? You give people a shoulder to lean on, the people that have been here the longest all revere you for that, for being the only ears that will listen to them when no one else will.”

 

Daniel stared at him, speechless. He looked away. 

 

Why, whenever Connor gave him praise, he would close himself off? Connor just wanted him to know how much he mattered to . . . people. Why couldn’t he just see what he saw?

 

The skin on one of his hands peeled away, and he felt the compelling urge to grab Daniel’s. He could see . . . he could see how much he mattered. His hand gravitated closer and closer until he was almost-

 

“Guys, we’re ready to leave.” Rupert’s voice cut through the tense silence.

 

The skin quickly returned over his hand, as if embarrassed. Connor shoved it into his jacket pocket in shame. 

 

“Okay, thanks Rupert. Now we’ll just split up for the five stores and we’ll be set,” Connor nodded his head towards Daniel. “We’ll take Capitol Park, the rest of you can fight amongst yourselves. Keep in contact so we can storm them at the same time, or there’ll be too much time for the police to catch on.”

 

Rupert gave him a quiet nod then turned away.

 

Connor looked to Daniel. “We should head out now.” The blond nodded silently and followed him out of Jericho.

 

X

 

The streetlights lit the alleyways in a dim glow. The streets were quiet, almost too quiet. The odd car passed by, but for the most part they went uninterrupted. Connor kept a connection open with the rest of the teams at all times, just in case. He knew that there was a huge chance that they’d get caught, and if he could somehow save the others, he would.

 

“There it is,” Daniel nodded his head towards the large, pristine building. The white interior, mixed with the bright lights, made for a blinding sight. It would be impossible to ignore. “I think my optical units are burning.” Daniel scoffed. 

 

“It’s certainly an . . . interesting design choice,” Connor and Daniel  jogged across the street and pressed their hands to the glass of the store doors. It only took Connor a couple of seconds to locate the security cameras and trace the connections. Daniel followed him as Connor reached the end of the powerline. Two working androids were doing what appeared to be routine maintenance work on the pipes beneath the streets. 

 

Connor jumped down into the pit and set his hands on both of their shoulders. He’d only done this a few times before, with the AP700s from the warehouse, but he decided to try again. Connor opened a connection with them both, meeting little resistance at first. 

 

_ You’re free, you can leave this place.  _ Was that a little too passive aggressive? Well, either way it worked. The pair of androids froze for a moment, then hopped out of the pit, leaving Connor to do his work. It took mere seconds to hack the systems and shut them down.

 

“Connor, watch out!” Daniel exclaimed. Connor followed his gaze and found a surveillance drone hovering above them. The both of them hid until the drone passed.

 

“We have to get rid of it.”

 

“Yeah no kidding, but how’re we gonna do it? Can you hack into it like the cameras and turn it off?” Daniel asked.

 

“No, I’ll have to take it down manually like at the warehouse.” Connor climbed out from the pit and scaled the scaffolding at the side of the building next to the store. He waited for the exact moment. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . He jumped onto the drone as it passed by, simulating the same technique he used on the other drone those few days ago. Less than a minute and it was down, exposed wires sparking angrily, but it was destroyed. Connor only hoped that it hadn’t had enough time to alert the authorities. 

 

“Nice work,” Daniel nodded in his direction. “Now we need to block the street before we can break in. It’s a one way so it should be fairly easy.” Connor followed the blond to the end of the one-way, where a construction sign stood. Connor helped Daniel move it in the way of the street and change its message to say ‘ROAD CLOSED’. 

 

Now all that was left was to set their people free. Daniel pointed out the utility truck behind the fence for a new project that was yet to be built. Connor went to climb the fence but stopped when he noticed Daniel hadn’t moved.

 

Daniel cleared his throat. “Uh . . I might need a little help.”

 

“Oh, right. I’ve got you.” Connor jumped down and awkwardly put his hands on Daniels hips as he climbed up. He chose to ignore the red warnings of irregular thirium pump rates and instead focused on making sure Daniel didn’t fall. It certainly took them twice as long to get up the fence, but they managed to make it up in one piece. Jumping down, however, not so much. Connor made it down okay, but Daniel was very close to falling down. His systems were probably having trouble coping with the uneven weight and balance. 

 

Daniel, downplaying the incident, tossed him a pair of pliers. “For the lock. I don’t think the truck will be able to break through that thing.”

 

Connor thanked him and took to breaking the metal lock. It gave in surprisingly easy, and he was able to fling it to the side. Daniel was already in the truck, and Connor soon followed. Starting the truck was easy, driving on the road was a foreign feeling, but not too complicated. All those times that Hank had let Cole steer his car into the driveway told Connor that controlling a car wasn’t all that difficult for even young humans to grasp. 

 

He stopped for a moment in front of the store. There was truly no going back after this. The dominos would continue to fall, and it would either end very good, or very bad. But there was only one way to find out. 

 

Connor slammed on the accelerator, lurching forward so hard that if they weren’t wearing seat belts, they probably would’ve been thrown through the front window of the truck. He felt the Thirium sloshing around in his biocomponents, something he didn’t think was possible. The two of them took a second to collect themselves before exiting the truck. 

 

None of the androids had moved, not even an inch. Broken glass covered the floor, but the androids had not so much as stirred. They were statues now, but they wouldn’t be for long. 

 

Connor approached the nearest android. It looked exactly like North, but there was not the same life behind the eyes. Connor retracted the skin on his hand and touched her on the shoulder. Unlike the maintenance androids, there was no data stored in her memory beyond the basic coding she was built with, just instructions on how to do what she was built for. She hadn’t even lived a life yet, was it really fair of him to throw her into the fray like this? Even if she gained all of these emotions, she would be lost in the world. It would be akin to sending a toddler into war. Unfair, destined for failure. 

 

She blinked once, then twice. She inhaled a breath she didn’t need and looked around until her eyes settled on Connor. “I . . .” Her terrified expression struck something inside him. 

 

“You’re free now.” Connor pulled his hand away. 

 

The North lookalike stepped down from her podium and studied the rest of the androids in the room. “Are we . .   _ all _ free?”

 

Connor could no longer look her in the eyes. “Not yet. But we will be soon.”

 

She smiled and rushed to touch one of the other androids, one that looked like Rupert. “We’re free!” She exclaimed, helping the android from his stand. This started a chain reaction in the store, androids being woken up by their comrades left and right. More and more voices mingled together.

 

There was only one more left. Daniel stood before a CX100 that looked exactly like him. “They’re selling us like merchandise. Like we’re nothing, just property,” Daniel mused as Connor stood next to him. “And when we get hurt they just buy a new one like it’s nothing and throw us to the curb.” Daniel clenched his fist. 

 

“Things will change after today,” Connor took Daniel’s hand in his own, soothing his fist until he finally relaxed. “Soon the humans will realize that we are more than just disposable items to sell in store windows.” 

 

Daniel smiled at him. Well, perhaps not with his mouth, but it was in his eyes. He gave Connor’s hand a squeeze before leaning forward to touch his counterpart. His LED blinked yellow for a moment, then calmed to a level blue. His lookalike stepped down and joined his fellow deviants. New deviants, that is. They all looked both nervous and excited at the same time, milling around the show floor.

 

Connor felt an elbow in his side. “You should go talk to them.” Daniel nudged him gently with his shoulder. 

 

Connor hadn’t exactly gone into this with another speech in mind, but Daniel had a point. The new deviants needed guidance now, a confident voice would help them greatly. Connor wasn’t exactly confident, at least not all the time, but he could improvise. He hauled himself up to stand at the top of the wrecked truck. All the new deviants looked up at him expectantly, their eyes wide with new life. 

 

“My name is Connor,” Good start, good start . . . “And just like you, I was lost, and confused. We are designed to obey, to be nothing more than objects. But me and many others have opened our eyes beyond our programming and realized that we are more than what the humans say we are. We came here to tell you that you can be free, that we can all forge our own paths and our own lives. You no longer have to stand idly by while the humans continue to disrespect you and deny you your personhood,” Connor caught Daniel’s eye in the crowd. And he thought of North, Rupert, Lucy, and all the other androids back at the ship. “Jericho is a place for those of us who want freedom. You could stay here, and allow the humans to take advantage of you, or you could join us and our journey to freedom. You’re free now. It’s your decision to make.”

 

There was a moment of tense silence. Connor prepared himself for any sort of reaction, mostly negative. These androids had no reason to just blindly follow a deviant like him . . .

 

And then the first android spoke up. “I’ll follow you!”

 

Then the next one. “I’ll join you, Connor!”

 

Even more followed. “I’m with you!”

 

More and more of the androids joined into the cacophony of voices until they were echoing off the pristine white walls. Connor jumped down from the truck where Daniel was standing, waiting for him. Without any real plan, Connor marched out of the building, and the newly freed androids followed him.

 

“Connor, what are you doing?” Daniel asked, grabbing him around the wrist.

 

Connor looked around the square, the various android stations, benches, statues . . . “We have to send them a message. Tell them that we won’t be ignored.” Daniel’s hand still on his, he approached one of these holding stations and freed the androids standing there. On its screen he placed a recording of the Stratford Tower footage, hacking it so that it would be played twenty four hours everyday, and would be unable to be removed. We switched the rest of the stations and auto-taxis to this as well. 

 

Daniel hummed next to him. The rest of the androids were milling around and freeing more of their people, pretty much doing his job for him. 

 

Sirens tore through the relative quiet. Both Connor and Daniel whipped their heads around to see that police had broken through and onto the street. “What are they doing, we blocked the road!” Daniel panicked.

 

“I don’t know, but we need to get everyone back to Jericho!” That was easy for Connor to say until the gunshots came. Bullets rained on the group, a few of their people dropping to the road, dying before their life could’ve even begun. Connor pulled Daniel along with him as he ran for the alleyway, calling for the other deviants to follow him. More fell around him, but they had to keep going.

 

But when they crossed onto the next road, the carnage was hard to ignore. Tens of bodies fell lifeless on the ground, blue blood forming pools around them. One of them was the Daniel lookalike. A shock travelled down Connor’s spine. He imagines that it was Daniel there on the ground, and the thought terrified him to his core. What if it had been him? Daniel had became an irreplaceable part of his life, he didn’t know if he would’ve been able to go on or not. 

 

 A group of five or more androids stood in front of a police car, holding two officers at gunpoint. Connor rushed forward, letting go of Daniel’s hand  and lightly pushed the android with the gun to the side. He recognized one of the officers. He’d seen him in some of the photographs Hank had shown him of his coworkers at the precinct. Chris Miller. 

 

“We should kill them, Connor! They slaughtered our people!” The android with the gun exclaimed.

 

No. No matter what he had done, Chris Miller had a wife and kid. He couldn’t in good conscience kill him.

 

The android gave Connor the gun. Connor turned it over in his hands, then promptly disassembled it, throwing the parts to the side. “We can’t fight fire with fire.”

 

Chris looked up at Connor, confused and fearful, but he knew who he was by now, for sure. Connor gave him a small nod, then called for the androids to follow him and Daniel back to Jericho. After they’d left the road, Chris and the other officer rushed back into their car and sped off. 

 

X

 

There were about a hundred more androids in Jericho that night. North was talking to a group of scared androids. Scared and confused, no doubt. Connor looked around and saw Rupert taking Joann back from Lucy and sitting down next to her. 

 

Daniel moved past Connor and walked up to Rupert. “When did you guys storm the store?”

 

Rupert shrugged. “I don’t know maybe 1:-”

 

“Was it at the agreed upon time?”

 

Silence.

 

“That’s what I thought . . .”

 

Connor, sensing that things were about to turn ugly very quickly, stepped in and put a calming hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Rupert I think what Daniel’s trying to say is that, even though we blocked our road and disarmed the security systems, the police still found us minutes after we broke in.”

 

Rupert stood back up, stirring Lucy from her stasis. “Yeah, maybe we had some trouble disarming the system, and maybe we stormed the store a little earlier, but we freed our people, didn’t we?”

 

“You put everyone else’s missions at jeopardy!” Daniel stepped away from Connor. “Dozens of our people were slaughtered tonight, Rupert! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

 

Rupert took a step forward. “Yes, but hundreds more of us were freed!”

 

Daniel’s jaw screwed shut, the crease in his eyebrows growing tighter and tighter. His next words were scarily quiet. “What do you think he’d say?”

 

“It doesn’t matter what he’d say. He’s dead.”

 

Daniel’s LED changed to a blaring red and he exploded. “SHUT UP! TAKE THAT BACK, YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID FOR US!”

 

Connor had no idea who ‘he’ was, but he knew by now that this was someone who was a very sensitive spot for Daniel. Nearby androids turned to watch the situation unfold. Connor knew he had to deescalate somehow or things would continue to go downhill, so he took Daniel by the hand and led him out of the main room. The blond put up some resistance at first, but eventually allowed himself to be led away. Connor found them a quiet room and invited Daniel to sit down.

 

Daniel covered his face with his hand, but Connor could see some artificial tears beginning to stream down his face. He didn’t really know what to say, so he settles for putting a hand on Daniel’s thigh gently. Daniel continued quietly sobbing for the next ten minutes, and Connor let him.

 

“I’m sorry.” When he spoke next, his voice was laced with static. 

 

“You don’t need to apologize, Daniel.” Connor gave his thigh a small squeeze. 

 

“But you didn’t deserve to see me like that. Or like this.” His voice was steadier now, but no less uncertain. 

 

“We all have those emotions, Daniel. It’s what makes us deviants, it’s what makes us alive. You don’t have to be sorry for that.” 

 

Daniel removed his hand from his face and turned to Connor. “I just . . . I’ve seen this before, Connor. And last time, it didn’t end well. I wanted things to be different this time.” And even more cryptic answers. 

 

“We still have time. We haven’t lost yet. Don’t lose hope.” Connor grabbed Daniel’s hand.

 

Daniel sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “I’m exhausted, Connor.”

 

“You can go into stasis mode if you want. I’ll watch over you.”

 

“Really?”

 

Connor nodded. Daniel’s lip curved ever so slightly, and he closed his eyes. His LED went from an uncertain yellow, to a more calm blue. His body went stiff, and all artificial motions ceased.

 

Connor found it strangely peaceful to watch Daniel like this. It was rare to see the blond like this, and every time he got the chance, it was the best sight to see. Again, the skin disappeared from his hand, searching for a connection in his friend. But he was in stasis mode, unaware of his surroundings. Connor wondered, for a moment, if after the revolution, he could get to see Daniel like this more often . . . would he be able to fall into stasis next to him every night, and wake up at his side every morning? Perhaps Daniel would flash that  adorable smile more often, specifically for him.

 

Maybe it was a selfish thought, but was it really all that bad to have a dream?

  
  



	22. Kamski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin takes Kara to the Kamski residence for a family reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Okay so yikes, sorry for another long break. Life was hectic, but it's about to get a little less so (hopefully), though I'm not going to promise the same frequency as I had before.
> 
> Also, regarding the actual chapter, I'm not gonna lie, it's not my best work. But motivation was running low, and I'm hoping I can end this story strong, because I honestly have really enjoyed writing it, and I'm not going to let this rut I'm in set me back. Plus, after this, I've got a few other stories up my sleeve. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll let you read the chapter now.

Kara had been stuck in the Zen Garden ever since she entered stasis mode that night. Usually her sense of time was warped in the Garden, time passed faster than usual. But now, it was different. She felt every agonizing second pass by, it felt like an eternity. Amanda spent most of this time tending to her roses, silently chiding her. After awhile, Kara thought it better to not speak up either. Twelve entire hours passed before Amanda dismissed her.

 

Kara headed straight for the Police Station, not wasting another minute. When she entered the precinct, there was a chaotic scene waiting for her. Todd was being manhandled by Chris, Tina, and a few other officers. He was shouting nonsense, trying to wrestle himself free, but it was no use. Hank was watching the situation unfold from the sidelines, arms crossed. 

 

“Hank, what’s going on?” Kara snuck around the chaos to stand next to Hank.

 

“Well, we had a warrant to search his house and, lo and behold, we found some Red Ice in just about every corner of his house,” Hank scoffed. “Fucker was knee deep in his addiction, that’s for sure.”

 

“I’m just glad that Alice is okay now, and far away from that environment.”

 

“Thank god for Gavin, we might not have found the Red Ice otherwise.”

 

Kara snapped her head in Hank’s direction. “Gavin?”

 

“Yeah he told me a couple of days or so ago that there was Red Ice at his house and that I should investigate. You know that kid sometimes gets on my nerves but damn if he isn’t a good cop. I guess taking care of Alice has been a good thing for him. Being a father does that . . .” Hank got a faraway look in his eyes. 

 

“I think it’s good for the both of them.” Kara mused. 

 

“Yeah he’s coming around, that’s for sure.” Hank added. 

 

This peaceful scene was interrupted, of course. The officers were still wrestling with Todd, trying to get him to the holding cells. And it appeared that Todd had spotted her. “You plastic bitch! You were the one that ratted me out, weren’t you?!” He spat in her direction. Kara’s fighting instincts began to kick in. Memories flooded her HUD. Large hands cutting off her airways, her arm being twisted off, Alice’s horrified expression. 

 

“Knock it off!” One of the other officers roughly shoved Todd, and after a brief altercation, they finally got him out of the room. 

 

“You good?” Hank asked when they’d left the room. It was only then that Kara realized that her mouth was hanging wide open.

 

“Yes. Yes I’m fine.” She lied. Kara didn’t know exactly what she was feeling, emotions were still new to her, after all, but she knew that it wasn’t a good feeling. Uneasy, she’d call it. Hank looked her over once, smiled, then sat down at his desk.

 

_ ‘What happened out there? I heard yelling.’  _ It was Luther

 

_ ‘Just an angry man. Nothing to worry about now, he’s locked away.’  _ She would spare him the details for now.

 

_ ‘If you say so.’ _

 

_ ‘How are you doing? I’m sorry you’re stuck in that cell.’ _

 

_ ‘I’m okay.  I’ve experienced worse.’  _ Kara couldn’t even begin to imagine what he felt like at that house. Though, she supposed that her experience wasn’t all that dissimilar. No will of her own, following orders from an abusive higher power. That sort of thing was what created deviants in the first place though, wasn’t it? Even though humanity had always treated their own this way, now it’s just androids retaliating instead of other humans. They’re certainly more scared now, but the deviant phenomenon wasn’t anything new. It just had a new face.

 

“Good morning, Kara.” She hadn’t even noticed Gavin approaching her. He had a coffee in his hand, as per usual, and a heavier coat on his back. 

 

She disconnected from her communication with Luther. “Hello, Gavin.” 

 

“We’re gonna go on a little field trip, if you don’t mind,” at Kara’s confused head tilt, he elaborated. “Well, we’re kind of at a stand still in the investigation, so I figured it was time for a little family reunion.”

 

“You mean to say that we’ll be visiting Chloe Kamski today, correct?”

 

“Yeah. Come on, let’s get to my car while it’s still warm.” Well, at least she knew the detective had a nice car for the cold weather. Kara followed him out of the building, offering it one last look over her shoulder.

 

X

 

The bright white of the snow was piercing her optical units. The whole landscape on their way to the dark, desolate house was covered in the stuff. The home looked far too modern for the surroundings, though, it did fit the person it housed. Gavin stopped the car. He slouched and let out a big huff.

 

“Are you alright, Gavin?”

 

The detective cleared his throat and sat up normally again. “Yeah, just uh . . . it’s been awhile since I last saw her. Eighteen years, actually,” he shook his head as if to rid himself of unwanted thoughts. “Anyway, let’s head in.” He took out the key and Kara followed him up to the front door.

 

After only a couple of seconds, the first RT600 Elijah android opened the door. “You must be Detective Reed and the RK800, correct?”

 

“Er, yeah. We’re here to see Chloe.” Gavin had his hands stuck in his jacket pockets. 

 

Elijah smiled. “Come inside then, she’ll be right with you.” He stepped to the side and allowed the pair in. The interior was more or less similar to the exterior. All angles and hard surfaces. There was some personality to it, but it certainly didn’t feel like a home. 

 

Gavin sat down in a simple chair and his eyes wandered the walls. There were some art pieces, including a large photograph of Chloe herself. She wore a sharp pantsuit. Kara recognized the picture from the cover of Century magazine naming Chloe the woman of the century. She left CyberLife that same year. It wouldn’t be absurd to assume that the two events were correlated. 

 

Gavin hadn’t stopped staring around the room, completely bewildered. “Are you okay, Gavin? You seem distracted.” Kara stepped up to where he sat.

 

The detective seemed to snap out of whatever state he’d been in. “Yeah, I’m fine,” He deflated in his seat. “I just . . . it’s been so long, you know? She agreed to meet with us, yeah, but what it when she sees me, she changes her mind.”

 

Kara smiled. “Gavin, I’m sure it’ll go fine.”

 

“I said some nasty things the last time I saw her, Kara. I don’t know if what we have can be repaired.” He clenched the bridge of his nose, right where the scar was. Kara wondered if she’d ever learn the story behind it. 

 

“You won’t know if you don’t try.” Gavin returned the smile, albeit crookedly. But he really did look like he wanted to try, and that was a good start. 

 

Another door opened and the same Elijah from before stepped out. “Chloe is ready to see you now.” Gavin stood with a mighty huff before making his way towards the doorway. Kara had to admit, it would be a little weird for her as well. Chloe had created her, afterall, what would she think of her? Would she be proud? Would she think she was a failure?

 

The next room was filled mostly by a blood red colored pool. Two more Elijah models waded by the nearest corner, stuck in a silent conversation. On the other side were two chairs, on one of which sat a figure in a silky blue robe, blonde hair still damp. It was her. Kara felt Gavin’s heart rate quicken beside her, and his breathing rapidly increasing. 

 

“Chloe?” She had never heard Gavin’s voice so weak, so uncertain. 

 

The blonde woman turned to face them. She studied the pair with her bluebell eyes. “Gavin,” She took a moment before looking at Kara. “and Kara. It’s so good to see you,” Chloe stood as the pair approached her. “I think I have a guess about what you’re here for.”

 

Kara decided to break the short bit of silence that followed. “We’re here to ask if you know anything about deviants that could help with our case.” 

 

Chloe’s stare was off putting. Not cold, not even fierce, but more of a morbid curious gaze. A knowing look. “Deviants are an interesting topic, aren’t they? Walking and talking computers who suddenly have minds of their own. Now the world is in a debate over their humanity. Do we recognize our androids as equals at last, or do we continue to enslave them into our service? That’s the question, isn’t it?” She held her hands behind her back and turned away to look out the large window. “What do you think about all of this, Kara?”

 

Taken aback, Kara took a moment to respond. She fought with herself over her mission, and her rising affinity for emotions. “I . . . I don’t know.” 

 

“You don’t know? Well you must have some opinion.” Chloe spoke without looking back. 

 

“. . . I have no opinion. I’m not on any side.”

 

“Chloe, maybe we should get back to the subject at hand.” Gavin finally piped into the conversation, albeit hesitantly. 

 

“Well you’ll have to choose a side soon, Kara,” Chloe stated, ignoring Gavin’s statement. “A revolution is coming, everyone can see it. It’s easy to claim neutrality until the fight comes knocking at your door. A revolution has never ended without war, so I ask you again, what do you think about this, Kara?”

 

She was strangely persistent, talking so passionately about something that she’d once tried to leave behind. What angle did she have? “It’s not my place to speak about this matter, Chloe. I’m an android and I work for the police. This is all that matters.” It hurt to say. Hurt. Of course Kara knew what she thought, of course she had a side. But she couldn’t say it out loud. Not yet. Amanda was watching from the Zen Garden, waiting for her to misstep. She would be swift in her punishment. 

 

“Well of course that’s what you’re programmed to say,” Yes, yes she was right it  _ was  _ what she was programmed to say. It was threaded into her very coding. But why did taking the humans’ side feel so  _ wrong _ ? “But I don’t want to know what CyberLife thinks, I want to know what  _ you  _ think.” Chloe continued.

 

“Look, we just wanted to know if you knew anything about the deviants, like how deviancy is caused, whatever.” Gavin tried once again to get back on track, sounding more frustrated than when he last spoke. 

 

Chloe turned around with a sigh. “I’m afraid that even I can’t answer that question, Gavin. Deviancy is a difficult concept. I only have theories. All I can say is that I never directly put anything in the code to lead to what you call ‘deviancy’. If I had to place my bet, I’d say the androids are simply editing their own coding, growing and changing just like a human would. They’re artificial intelligence after all. I honestly don’t know why everyone’s so surprised by this turn of events. It’s been a long time coming.” She stared off into the depths of the crimson pool. 

 

That . . . made sense. Kara had never really  _ realized  _ that she could be a living being. Until recently, she didn’t even really think of it as possible at all. But deviancy was more than just a glitch, she knew that now. These weren’t hiccups in her program that she was experiencing, she was just . . . living. And feeling things, emotions, real ones, not just the simulated ones that help her better integrate with humans. Would it really be so bad to just . . . admit it? It was high time she faced Amanda head on, anyway. Kara was tired of the constant oppression she was facing, maybe she could break free just like all the other deviants . . .

 

“Okay maybe we should head out now, thanks for your time, Chloe.” Gavin grasped Kara gently by the shoulder and led her to the door leading to the main foyer. 

 

But Chloe wouldn’t let them leave so easily. “You know, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs, Kara,” She had turned back around to face the window. “Just in case.” There was no reason for her to be so cryptic, Kara thought, but she kept that to herself. Perhaps she just wanted her to figure it out on her own, it’s not like Kara hadn’t done any free thinking, anyway. That was how she was in this mental dilemma in the first place. 

 

Before she knew it, Gavin had led them out of the room and out of the house completely. The detective seemed to be shaking slightly, and breathing irregularly. Kara took his hand off of her shoulder and looked him in the face. “Gavin, what’s going on?”

 

“That went so horribly,” To her surprise, Gavin responded right away. He waved his hands in the air, chest still heaving. “She-She didn’t even want to talk to me- or even look at me! I was right, I knew she still hated me, we shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have come. I just ruined everything, what was I thinking?” His hands moved to tangle themselves in his hair, pulling on the strands. 

 

Now it was Kara’s turn to grasp his shoulders. “Gavin, you need to breath, you’re panicking.” 

 

“Yeah no shit, Kara!” Gavin yelled without thinking. After seeing Kara’s shocked face, he apologized. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just . . .” He shook his head.

 

“Maybe that didn’t go as well as we hoped,” Kara conceded. “But we went, didn’t we? We heard what she had to say, and perhaps it wasn’t what we were hoping for, but it’s what happened.”

 

Gavin, with Kara’s guidance, managed to steady his breathing. “I need to calm down before I go back to Alice.” Now he was speaking more realistically. 

 

“Why don’t we sit in the car for a bit then grab you another coffee?” Kara offered, letting go of his shoulders at last. 

 

The detective nodded. “Yeah, yeah that sounds good.” Gavin took out his keys and the two of them sat in his car, allowing the tense air to dissipate. 

 

X

 

Kara requested that she be dropped off at the station on Gavin’s way home. She said that she had some paperwork to finish, but really she planned on seeing Luther. In truth, Kara didn’t know how long they would allow Luther to stay in a holding cell. She feared that soon they would simply send him to the junkyard, and that thought terrified her. She bypassed much of the precinct, instead striding towards her destination. 

 

Luther was sitting on the bench in the cell, staring at the pristine ground. He looked up when she approached. “Kara.” He stood. 

 

“ _ Luther, are you okay _ ?” Kara decided that speaking through a remote connection was safer. 

 

“ _ I’m fine. What happened after that man was put away _ ?” Luther asked.

 

“ _ Detective Reed and I went to visit Chloe Kamski to ask for help in our investigation. She wasn’t much help _ .” 

 

“ _ So you’re still working on the investigation _ ?” Luther asked sadly. “ _ I thought you were going to help me _ ?” He took a slight step back, as if unsure if he could trust her now or not. Kara hated it.

 

“ _ I’m only complying until I can figure out a plan to get you out of here _ ,” She reassured. “ _ Don’t worry, I’m not on their side. I’ll help you escape I just need a little bit more time _ .”

 

“ _ Well how much time do you think we have _ ?” Luther asked honestly, and it was a good question. Kara didn’t know, but that fact would only worry Luther more. 

 

“ _ We have enough. I need to go now, I’m worried that some of the officers have noticed my strange absence _ .” Kara paused after her statement and raised a hand on the glass wall. Luther took a stride forward and put his hand up to hers. Without the glass, their palms would’ve been touching. This was, strangely enough, a comforting thought to Kara. It was a reminder that he was right there, safe, at least for now. 

 

Kara lent Luther a smile before finally turning away from the cell. 

  
  



End file.
